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Agile Open-Source Methods, Businesses and EU-funding 
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:Authors: Bea During (Change Maker), Holger Krekel (merlinux) 
:Date: 26th February 2006, PyCon, Dallas


What is PyPy? 
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- Next generation Python implementation 
- Grass-root open source effort 
- A partially funded research project 
- Technical aims: flexibility and speed 
- Method aims: evolve sprint-driven development 

Bootstrapping PyPy (2003) 
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- Initial sprint with Armin Rigo, Christian Tismer,
  Holger Krekel, Michael Hudson and then Samuele Pedroni ... 
- Driven by psyco/stackless experiences 
- "Minimal Python" inital project name 
- Focus on correctness of concepts, then speed

PyPy test-driven development 
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- Identify problems/evolution by tests first 
- Our own testing and development tools (py.test)
- Rule: first get the semantics and concepts right! 
  optimize later!
- Today around 3000 tests (plus CPython regression tests)

PyPy is (not) a funded EU project 
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- PyPy wasn't a funded project 
- PyPy isn't a funded project
- PyPy is a funded project 
- Conclusion: it's more complicated

EU project consortium 
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- AB Strakt (Sweden) 
- merlinux (Germany)
- Change Maker (Sweden)
- Heinrich Heine University (Germany) 
- DFKI (Germany)
- Tismerysoft (Germany)
- Logilab (France) 
- Impara (Germany) 

EU contractual work structure 
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- "Description of Work" for two years
- 14 workpackages and 58 deliverables, 3 phases 
- Sprints every 6th week (coordinating development and management work)
- EU project aspects enforced mid-term/long-term focus
- not a usual open-source approach 
- **good and bad**

Balance of interests 
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- PyPy was first and still is a network of people
- ...but EU only funds organisations 
- Developers drive the technical project
- Companies co-finance 50% of all costs 
- EU wants challenging research goals and tracking of goals 
- **it is all about finding 
  good models for co-operation**

Current developer work structure 
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- Weekly 30 minute synchronisation meetings 
- Open collaborative open-source work style 
- Representation through Trusted "Technical Board" 
  within the EU project 
- Research/architecture informally guided by accepted experts 

.. Bea


Agile practises: the people factor
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- "Agile processes are designed to capitalize on each
  individual and each team's unique strenghts" (Cockburn, Highsmith, 2001)
- OSS nature of teams: self-organized, intensely 
  collaborative - fit the agile approach
- OSS teams are an unique implementation of agile practices - why?


Origins of sprinting
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- Scrum (Agile community): 1 month long iteration of
  development work, increments (also supporting activities:
  planning, documentation, tracking work, evaluation)

- Zope Foundation (Python Community): "two-day or three-day
  focused development session, in which developers pair off
  together in a room and focus on building a particular
  subsystem".    

Sprinting the PyPy way 
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- First-contact sprints e.g. around conferences 
- Core sprints for reaching milestones, releases
- 7 days with 1 break day, every 6th week 
- Typical activities: daily planning/status meetings, 
  closure meetings, sprint reports, pair-group programming, 
  tutorials, EU consortium issues 
- Rotating moderation/organisation

Sprints facilitate participation 
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.. image:: subscribers.png 
   :scale: 60

..

Managing diversities 
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- Developer driven process and formal project organization
      - management team, technical board and partners
      - sprint organising
      - planning and focusing on technical tasks 
- Constant risk of added workload of management
  work on core developers 

More managing diversities 
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- Agile strategies and Formal EU requirements 
      - written high level requirements
      - change control structures complicated
- Constant risk of missing opportunities and not
  creating/reacting to change fast enough

Even more diversities ... 
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- OSS community and hierarchies for "conceptual integrity"
      - pypy-dev/core developers in technical board
      - industrial usage vs research oriented work
- Risk for unbalancing the community

Hitchikers guide ... 
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.. image:: manmoon.png 

Learnings 
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- Share a challenging vision!
- Respect and utilize strengths of different cultures and
  people involved
- Design minimalistic project structures
- Learn as a group and create changes, not just react to change

Outlook on whole project level 
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- EU project to finish November 2006 
- Improve interactions with community & contribution
- Exploring Commercial opportunities ... hiring opportunities ... 
- Taking care about post-EU development (2007++)
- Sprints: Lovain La Neuve, Tokyo, EuroPython, Ireland 
- http://codespeak.net/pypy  and http://pypy.org


.. |bullet| unicode:: U+02022
.. footer:: Bea During, Holger Krekel |bullet| PyCon |bullet| 26th February 2006