[GSoC 2020] [Proposal draft #0] Initial JVM support for Guix

[Leandro Doctors <ldoctors@gmail.com>]

On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 at 21:41, Leandro Doctors <ldoctors@gmail.com> wrote:
>  On Tue, 3 Mar 2020 at 19:32, zimoun <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Based on your interests (Clojure, Leiningen, etc.), you should
> > consider something around a Clojure "importer".
>
> I am preparing my proposal. I will send it in the next few days.

Hello, everybody!

This is my first draft (at the bottom of this message). Please note
that the document is in a very early stage, so at this point there are
still many questions unanswered (to which I have added some notes
below).

Your feedback will be crucial in answering questions and evolving the
attached draft into a full proposal.

Best,
Leandro


****** Notes ******
- Whereas I may switch to org-mode, I am currently using LyX for
writing the proposal.
- I thought plain text was the best for getting feedback. If you think
another format is better (Markdown, LaTeX, PDF...) please let me know.
Pandoc is my friend :-)
- I watched the whole Guix-Jupyter Scicloj video session from last
January 9th, 2020.
https://scicloj.github.io/posts/2020-03-07-guix-jupyter/
- From what I see, in Guix there are compilers and importers (I'm in
the process of getting familiar to this terminology).
- There is already a compiler for Clojure, and Clojure has been
packaged into Guix. However, there is no importer for Clojure
packages...
- I agree with some comments from the talk: given that Clojure is a
hosted language, merely importing "Clojure packages" is impossible. In
this case, as Clojure is hosted in the JVM, we should aim to importing
Maven (an eventually, also Clojars) packages. So, adding "Clojure
support" would mean "adding JVM support".
- I guess that supporting tools/deps.edn would enable supporting Maven
dependencies?
- Packaging clojupyter would be a potential task to consider during
the first coding period (maybe even before?)




******************** Draft **********************


Initial JVM support for Guix

Leandro Doctors
<ldoctors@gmail.com>

1 Overview<sec:Overview>

Add support for importing JVM packages (jar files) into Guix.


2 Status Quo<sec:Problem-Statement>

Guix supports importing package metadata from multiple sources.
Currently, these sources are as diverse as GNU packages,
repositories such as the Python Package Index and the
Comprehensive R Archive Network, and JSON files. However, there
is another source not yet supported by Guix: JVM-based languages.
Currently, Guix does not support importing from any JVM-based
language, such as Java, Clojure. Considering Java is the most
used programming language, this would be a very valuable addition
for Guix.


3 Status Desideravit<sec:Solution-Overview>


3.1 Objectives

1. Add a JVM importer.

2. Also support Clojure jars.


3.2 Benefits

• Gain access to the JVM environment.


4 Implementation Plan<sec:Implementation-Plan>


4.1 Stages & Deliverables

<TBD>

4.2 Timeline & Milestones<sec:Timeline-&-Milestones>


Note: I have considered 5-days weeks for all periods, so there
can be slack time if needed.

1. Student Application Period (March 16th - 31st) (2 weeks)

  • Start flicking through Guix's code. [done]
  • Set up a development environment. [done]
  • Start learning the basics about Guix's internal processes
    (release management, developer interactions, codes of
    conduct...).
  • Start reading Guix documentation. [in progress]
  • Start exploring possible approaches to implement proposed
    features. [in progress]

2. Application Review Period (March 31st - April 27th) (4 weeks)

  • Open PRs with small code and/or documentation glitches
    discovered during the first step of this list.
  • Finish reading introductory material.
  • Start experimenting with possible approaches to implement
    proposed features.
  • Finish learning the basics about Guix internal processes
    (release management, developer interactions, codes of
    conduct...).
  • Continue hacking into Guix's codebase to get to know it
    better.
  • Engage with the Community and develop possible features not
initially considered.


3. Student Projects Announced (April 27th) (1 day)

4. Community Bonding (April 27th - May 18th) (3 weeks)

  • Continue hacking into Guix's codebase to get to know it
    better.
  • Finish experimenting with possible approaches found during
    the Application Review period with which to implement
    proposed features.
  • Explore options to implement proposed features.
  • Re-assessment of implementation difficulty proposed features.

5. Coding #1 (May 18th - June 12th) (4 working weeks)

  Implement Stage #1:

  (a) Weeks 1 & 2: <Focus for the Week Here>
    i. <Task here>

    Milestones:
    i. M1.1: <Milestone here>

  (b) Weeks 2 & 3

  (c) Week 4

6. Partial Evaluation #1 (June 15th - 19th) (1 buffer week)

  (a) Week 5: (Buffer)

    Milestones:
    i. (finish unfinished milestones)

7. Coding #2 (June 23rd - July 10th) (3 working weeks)

  Implement Stage #2:

  (a) Week 6

  (b) Week 7

  (c) Week 8

8. Partial Evaluation #2 (July 13th - 17th) (1 buffer week)

  (a) Week 9: (Buffer)

    Milestones:
    i. (finish unfinished milestones)

9. Coding #3 (July 20th - August 7th) (3 working weeks)

  Implement Stage #3:

  (a) Weeks 10 & 11

  (b) Week 12

10. Students Submit Code and Final Evaluations (August 10th -
  17th) (1 buffer week)

  (a) Week 13: (Buffer)

    Milestones:
    i. (finish unfinished milestones)

11. Mentors Submit Final Evaluations (August 17th - 24th) (1
  week)

12. Results Announced (August 25th) (1 day)


A About the Applicant<sec:Personal-background>

<Annex withheld for now>