Python has acquired new super powers since version 3.5 and the arrival of PEP 484. Type hints are a new programming language feature which python projects can progressively adopt to improve their confidence in their code base doing what it is supposed to be doing.
Django, the massively used Python web framework, has yet to receive comprehensive core integration for type hinting. While much effort is being put into upgrading many open source community projects (such as Zulip, one of the biggest success stories), Django has yet to receive this effort and focus. We want to make a big push this FOSDEM 2019 to see if we can take the big leap into bringing type hints to Django core!
Following the lead of the Zulip developers (see https://blog.zulip.org/2016/10/13/static-types-in-python-oh-mypy/ for more) format used at PyCon 2016, we intend to open up a collaborative space for making fly-by contributions to adding type hints to the Django code base.
Volunteers can come with their laptop, install the project source (type hint, installation guide, python cheat sheets, etc will be provided) and then follow a short how-to guide to add a small contribution (there are many examples of small easy wins and easy first contributions) and then submit a pull request. We will maintain a visualisation of the percentage increase we are making progress towards success (like https://d2mxuefqeaa7sj.cloudfront.net/s_75D610ACC7DE41FD41A47CCE7C098AB12F65B4E72F59B74EBE6F6100D75C117F_1475462832801_thermometer-pycon-sprint.jpg) and we aim to have helping hands to bring volunteers up to speed quickly. For streaming, remote participants can contribute as well! We will share a chat space and they can hack away and contribute while the talks are running :)
All levels of contributors wil be welcome and we are certain that most if not all can learn enough to make some sort of a contribution within 30 minutes if they have some vague familiarity with Python (which is a lot of people!). This will be a big win for the open source community to practice what they preach and to have a space to collaboratively contribute to one of the most successful open source projects in the Python community.
I hope that is clear. Thanks for reading! If this talk is accepted, I can start to make some PR about it through my modest Django core connections :)
https://github.com/TypedDjango/
https://blog.zulip.org/2016/10/13/static-types-in-python-oh-mypy/
https://gitter.im/mypy-django/Lobby
I always get a warm fuzzy feeling about the free software world when I come to FOSDEM (and that is not just the beer!) and I think this will perfectly accompany that for people who also want to get hacking with others who they know are around and in the space and who they can learn from or just share space with their common hobbies. I think the topic is really broad, anyone who knows Python can walk in and take a stab at it. It will be hugely beneficial to the Django community and a space for other Django people to congregate. It can bring prestige to FOSDEM since it is such a positive project for a common good. I think it fits! :)
I am a long time user and contributor to the Django ecosystem. I use Python and Django in my day job and also for my hobby work. I've discussed the topic with some of the core developers of Django as well as other motivated people who want to help, so I have some contacts regarding it 'further up the ladder' :) The worker cooperative I work in would particularly benefit from having type support in Django, so we're also motivated and related in this way.