So, I recently finished (for certain values of "finished") my Google Summer of Code grant. It was very fun, stressful, and eye opening. I learned a LOT. A lot more than I could possibly encompass in a single (or infinite, really) blog post, and way more than the realm of computer hackery involves.
I remember starting the project, getting my SVN commit bit, svn co'ing the code, and going "Holy shit. I am in WAY over my head." But I kept at it. I was stubborn, and MOST important, asked incessant questions, probably much to the chagrin of my mentor and the very kind souls that held my hand through all of this.
I finally got my head wrapped around most of the code, and went, "hey! I kick ass! I'm contributing, I'm smart, I'm getting things done, I'm good enough, and gosh darn it people like me!." Then we got into stage two. The process preeeetty much started all over again. I had no idea where I was, I was writings tests for things I didn't quite understand, and did a great deal of staring at my computer screen. I wasn't, however, committing to the wrong places or fucking up the repo (as much) anymore! Progress was being made. Slow, but there.
