What a productive day! A little background information to start off, I’ve just moved from my student accommodation in which I had resided in for the past 4 months. My study abroad has finally come to an end, and I’m currently staying at this off-campus location that unfortunately is not within reach of the University’s wireless network. However, I finally found the perfect spot in this apartment that is able to connect smoothly to another free wireless network without disconnecting every minute.

Thus, today’s progress:

#####1. Understanding how to go about the Github Windows Program and Git Shell. I am so pleased at how simple and clean the user interface for Git Shell is. Having lost lots of sleep over putty and the command terminal the past few months all thanks to a C programming subject has made me appreciate how lovely high-level programming languages are. I also absolutely adore the purple background of Github.

#####2. Installing gems on Windows (this was quite a pain, since Jekyll isn’t instantaneously compatible with Windows, unlike Mac or Linux systems) Thanks to Jekyllrb , I’ve finally managed to install jekyll so as to successfully utilize jekyll bootstrap. I’ve always had the mentality that Windows > Mac but I guess it’s dawn upon me that Mac might be better in many other ways!

#####3. Creating my first post! Tada!

Vi and I had a skype conversation earlier this week (note that I’m currently located on the red dot on the left of the world map, and Vi at the red dot on the right). It’s amazing how far we are away from each other, yet have managed to overcome the distance (commonly seen as boundaries) and work so well despite not having met face-to-face. I guess it’s symbolic as well since open source is based on the idea of a global conversation such that communication is not hindered by geographical boundaries.

Here’s what we’ve set up for the rest of the month till the official start of RGSoC’15:

#####1. Trello As advised by our mentor Dane, it would be crucial to manage workflow smoothly since we’re working as a pair afterall. Trello has this gorgeous post-it-note-like feel to it, and it’s clear now as to what needs to be done for this pre-RGSoC skill development period. Aside from UI, it doesn’t clog up our email inbox, which is such a plus point!

#####2. Skill Development We’ll be working on improving our understanding of javascript and rails. Mainly ember.js, since discourse requires it more so.

#####3. Figuring out our schedules Coincidentally, we’ll both be away on travels this June. It might prove tricky to find Wi-fi and coordinate skype sessions during the month since holiday itineraries tend to throw both mental, biological and physical energies out of whack. We’ve made a commitment to at least respond to emails, check trello and keep up with skill development. In addition, we both happen to be travelling in some of the most developed countries in the world! Wi-fi? Not an issue!

#####4. Evaluating the redundancies of certain platforms Prior to our acceptance, we had experimented with certain platforms. For example, Google Drive vs Dropbox. We’ve come to a conclusion that facilitates both what we’re used to and things that don’t require unnecessary fees.

Dropbox happened to be handy for both of us in sharing files.

Github, Discourse and email to keep in contact with coaches and mentors.

Github as the base for jekyll bootstrap blog.

^ said blog and Twitter to update our quietly amassing followers to the awesome stuff that we’ll be getting up to.

Trello for managing workflow. (edit 1/7/15: no longer using Trello)

Yes, we do have many pages. However, we want to make sure that this open source project is indeed, open. Meaning that communiation is key and that we learn as much about the open source community as possible. Perhaps we might add on/reduce some of the above terminals in future? We’ll see!

Shoutout to Vi for setting up the site. She did such a great job! In order to reach-out to the more mainstream net-world, please follow us on Twitter (@TeamMelbKoala)

Signing off, Sarah