The Tux4Kids project applied, and has been accepted!, to participate in the 2008 Google Summer of Code program.
The following are some ideas improvements that could be made to the three Tux4Kids projects: Tux Paint, Tux, of Math Command (TuxMath) and Tux Typing 2 (TuxType) (previously hosted at SourceForge.net).
All projects are written in the C programming language, and utilize the Simple DirectMedia Layer library (libSDL), a cross-platform multimedia library. The Tux4Kids projects, at various times, have been ported to one or more platforms that SDL supports, including Linux, Windows, MacOS, Mac OS X, BeOS and more.
Tux4Kids software is in widespread use at schools, included in various Linux distributions and sub-projects (e.g., Edubuntu), and in software compliations. Tux Paint and TuxMath are both included on the ASUS Eee PC education-oriented subnotebook computer.
A drawing program for kids aged 3 to 12 years old. (www.tuxpaint.org)
Easy
- Bring older Windows port up-to-date (Win95, Win98, WinME).
- Create new Magic tools (using the new plug-in API).
Medium
- Integrate thumbnail dialogs (Open, New and Slideshow) into one codebase.
- Make UI themeable (e.g., larger buttons and high-contrast for the visually impaired).
- Improve support for content (e.g., where metadata is stored, Starters, add support for Templates, etc.) for more fine-grained control, esp. in schools.
Hard
- Add support for system file dialogs (Open, Save, Save As...) for people/schools who need or want more than the built-in thumbnail-based sandbox for files.
- Create selection tools (select, unselect, copy, paste, move, turn-into-a-new-Stamp).
- Support system copy/paste (to paste into or from external applications).
An arcade-style video game for learning mathematics. (tux4kids.alioth.debian.org)
Easy
- Bring Mac OS X port up-to-date.
- Support higher resolution displays than just 640x480.
Medium
- Build a GUI front-end for tuxmathadmin (which helps configure and organize large installations (e.g., schools) and provide reports on student progress).
- Make the game themeable (not just penguin/igloo backdrop).
- Add a game/activity for practicing factors and fractions. (Perhaps an "Asteroids" clone — call it "Factoroids" — where the big rocks (products) get split into little rocks and are elimited when they are completely factored into primes.)
- Add native SVG support.
Hard
- Multi-player mode (points go to whoever shoots the comet first).
- Create a long-term incentive system that gives a long-term visual sense of progress. (e.g., as students complete more lessons, they earn "fish" which can be "spent" on items that either help game play (e.g., a "blizzard" smart-bomb), or for assembling a comfy home setting for their Tux penguin.)
A typing tutor game for children. (tux4kids.alioth.debian.org)
Easy
- Use GNU gettext for localization, instead of homebrew stuff.
- More content (practice sentences, finger exercises, etc.).
Medium
- Rearrange source tree into a more sane state.
- In-game support for editing word lists and practice sentences.
Hard
- Auto-detection of "typeable" characters via SDL or native OS APIs.
Updated 2008-03-17 23:00 UTC by Bill Kendrick <bill@newbreedsoftware.com>.