Introduction and Learning

[luqq-md]

Hi @pradeeban sir,

I'm a third-year B.Tech CSE student, and I've recently started exploring CONTROL-CORE. I previously made a small contribution to DeepChem, where I fixed invalid escape sequence warnings in a few Python files. That experience got me interested in contributing to established open-source projects and understanding how they work internally.
I've cloned CONTROL-CORE and started exploring the codebase. I'm trying to understand the project properly by setting it up, running studies, and looking at issues that could affect users. I've also started investigating a Windows-related issue with controller shutdown.

I don't want to rush into major changes without understanding the project first. I'd rather start with smaller issues, learn from the existing code, and make useful contributions along the way.
I'd like to know whether I'm heading in the right direction. Are there any particular areas or issues you'd suggest I focus on? Also, is there anything specific I should improve or learn before preparing my GSoC proposal?

I'm genuinely interested in the project and would like to spend time understanding it and contributing properly.
Thank you and would love to build an experience with good memoreis!!

[pradeeban]

Hi @luqq-md, we have not yet sufficiently thought about the GSoC 2027 project ideas yet. We will do that in early January. Understanding the codebase is an excellent approach. As we are overwhelmed by a lot of AI-written/AI-assisted PRs, the quantity of PRs does not really matter anymore.

[luqq-md]

Thanks sir ..I do use an LLM sometimes to help spot possible bugs, but I reproduce and test them myself before making changes..right now, my main focus is understtanding the codebase and getting accustomed to the tech being used here, which I believe will also help me in future projects

[luqq-md]

I am happy the maintainers here are responsive and has a helping nature unlike other organizations where they completely ignore any sort of help or request

[pradeeban]

Sounds good, @luqq-md. The unresponsiveness is mentors is largely because GSoC organizations are unprepared for an influx of applicants as early as August. In the past, the applicants usually start contacting the organizations after they are accepted. 2026 started a bit earlier with applicants reaching out from early January. Now, we have applicants communicating with the organizations as soon as the 2026 summer is over. Most mentors signed up for the summer (and not for the entire year. :) )

Wishing you success with your application.

[yadavchiragg]

Hi @pradeeban, and everyone here,

I’m Chirag Yadav, a backend-focused software engineer from Jaipur, India (Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Docker). I’ve worked with Dr. Kathiravelu before on two KathiraveluLab projects, BHV (a HIPAA-compliant healthcare platform, where I contributed 25+ PRs covering auth, security hardening, database optimization and CI/CD) and AWANTA. I also founded the PyData Jaipur community.

I’ve set up concore locally on macOS (Apple Silicon) and am preparing my first PR to dev, a small concore doctor improvement that adds a Java (javac) check. While testing I noticed that tests/test_shm_abort.py and tests/test_shm_lifecycle.py fail on macOS, so I’d like to look into that next if it isn’t already being handled.

I’d be glad to take on issues in the CLI, the Python runtime or the test infrastructure. If there are areas where help is most needed, I’d appreciate a pointer. Thanks!