Google Summer of Code’17 @ LibreHealth
Hello World!
I am Nilesh Prasad . Currently , I am in the 2nd year of my B.Tech in Computer Engineering .
This blog-post is the first of the many more to come for the next 3–4 months as I have been selected to work under LibreHealth for Google Summer of Code ’ 17 .
What is Google Summer of Code (GSoC) ?
Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on introducing students to open source software development. Students work on a 3 month programming project with an open source organization during their break from university.
As a part of Google Summer of Code, student participants are paired with a mentor from the participating organizations, gaining exposure to real-world software development and techniques. Students have the opportunity to spend the break between their school semesters earning a stipend while working in areas related to their interests.
Most importantly, more code is created and released for the use and benefit of all.
My Journey to GSoC :
I was always fascinated by the open-source software development and wanted to be a part of an organization , so that I could use my skills to contribute to society and do something impactful . So with that aim in my mind, I started using Github for all my personal projects and in the process, I learnt a lot about Version Control and how the large open-source projects are managed. I started off by fixing some really minor bugs , but in the process learnt a lot about Pull Requests/Branching. I made myself completely familiar about Git concepts before the application period of GSoC’17 had started, which helped me a lot.
When Google announced the list of 201 mentoring organizations ,I decided to choose LibreHealth as the organization to work for , as I was very well versed with PHP and Javascript which the LibreEHR(Electronic Health Record) application was using . Secondly, all the mentors there were extremely friendly and were always ready to guide. Although our time-zones were different, I never had to wait much for the response of mentors for a particular help. Before the results were announced , I had made 16 Commits (376++/141- -) to the LibreEHR repository.
Finally , on May 4th , results were announced and I was thrilled to see the mail from Google stating that my application has been accepted. Thus, after a series of sleepless-nights and toiling hard work, I was successful. It was even more special as this was my maiden attempt and getting selected in such a prestigious global programme is a matter of pride!
I thank all the Mentors and Organization Admins of LibreHealth for giving me this opportunity .
What my project is all about?
LibreHealth-EHR (Electronic Health Record) application is a clinically-focused electronic health record system designed to be both easy to use and customisable, for use in a variety of health care settings. It builds on the strength of the LibreHealth Toolkit, and adapts many of the proven user experiences built over many years in the OpenEMR system. It is designed in such a way that health care professionals have an easy-to-use experience in their daily work.
During the summer, I would mostly be working on optimising the frontend performance of the application and on giving the application a new look, which would be responsive across all devices. One of the major aims of my project would be to replace Smarty Template Engine with native PHP and Javascript . I’ll also be working on the issue of type-validation or type-checking which isn’t done in an efficient manner throughout the project. There may be several additions in the current proposal , if required, during the Community Bonding period .
I would mentored by two great mentors — Tony McCormick and Art Eaton .
I feel extremely privileged to work for an organization like LibreHealth which aims to bring a Health-IT revolution .
Looking forward to have a great summer ahead!! Thanks for reading. I will be posting weekly from now on. Let the semester exams finish!! :)
Special Thanks to: Art Eaton , Tony McCormick , Terry Hill, Robby O’Connor, Michael Downey, Saptarshi Purkayastha, Judy Gichoya.
