[OpenLayers-Users] Google Summer of Code ideas?

[John R. Frank]

I'd like to see more application layer components.  While there are many
JS toolkits for making menus and draggable subwindows and such, there are
a few specific things that would be nice to have a *modular* set of
*tested* components that were designed to work on top of the OL core
library.  I'm thinking of things like multiple maps in little windows that
drag around, big toolbars with cool features, fancy layer selecters,
windows that can float on the map holding different things, tree-based
layer selection, symbol pallettes that allow drag-on-to-the-map, etc.

Having a few choices for these "app widgets," built with different
toolkits, like DoJo, Scriptaculous, Yahoo Widgets, etc, would be nice for
several reasons.  We could then see which widgets get traction in
discussions, patches, sandboxes.  This would community collaboratively
figure out useful approaches to using the library.  Most importantly, we
would establish the idea that app-layer widgets should also be shared as
OS.

An intern could make a big dent in this project.  The interns' work would
be outside the core library, so they'd be able to operate independently.
We're well setup to have interns hacking in sandboxes.  I can easily
layout four person-months of projects of this type, and with everyone
else's help, we could describe two or three times that :)

John