This is the article we have needed on this subject for a very long time. Thank you so much for writing it!
I have repeatedly been told how important contributing to open source projects is to my career in computer programming. In interviews, it has not been uncommon for me to be asked if I have worked on anything that is open source so the interviewer might observe how I write code in the context of a large project with multiple contributors. I have always had to admit, with some sense of shame, that I have not done so.
I was always intimidated by the complexity of FOSS projects as well as the semming level of expertise of all of the other participants. Whether it was reading pull request notes in Github, or posts on Open Source discussion boards and subreddits, I felt way out of my depth. There was no way that I would be able to contribute anything of value to those people. I expected any comments I made would be ignored, and if I dared to submit a pull request, the review of my proposed changes would read like a character assassination. Happily, I want to assure you that while there are some out there who seem to make a sport out of swatting down n00bs, most folks in the FOSS community are welcoming, helpful and patient. There is plenty of work to go around, and even the most rank beginner's efforts will be appreciated somewhere!
So, for anyone else out there that is interested in becoming involved with an Open Source project but doesn't know where to start, here are a few links I have collected that are for Open Source beginners. I cannot personally vouch for every project or contact you might find on these sites, but I will say that overall, these sites will provide you an easy entry into the Open Source world! Good luck!
gauger.io/contrib/#/language/javas...
(You are not limited to JS either. Select the language drop-down menu at the top of the left-hand column to choose from ~ 30 different programming languages!)
This is the article we have needed on this subject for a very long time. Thank you so much for writing it!
I have repeatedly been told how important contributing to open source projects is to my career in computer programming. In interviews, it has not been uncommon for me to be asked if I have worked on anything that is open source so the interviewer might observe how I write code in the context of a large project with multiple contributors. I have always had to admit, with some sense of shame, that I have not done so.
I was always intimidated by the complexity of FOSS projects as well as the semming level of expertise of all of the other participants. Whether it was reading pull request notes in Github, or posts on Open Source discussion boards and subreddits, I felt way out of my depth. There was no way that I would be able to contribute anything of value to those people. I expected any comments I made would be ignored, and if I dared to submit a pull request, the review of my proposed changes would read like a character assassination. Happily, I want to assure you that while there are some out there who seem to make a sport out of swatting down n00bs, most folks in the FOSS community are welcoming, helpful and patient. There is plenty of work to go around, and even the most rank beginner's efforts will be appreciated somewhere!
So, for anyone else out there that is interested in becoming involved with an Open Source project but doesn't know where to start, here are a few links I have collected that are for Open Source beginners. I cannot personally vouch for every project or contact you might find on these sites, but I will say that overall, these sites will provide you an easy entry into the Open Source world! Good luck!
firsttimersonly.com/
up-for-grabs.net/#/
gauger.io/contrib/#/language/javas...
(You are not limited to JS either. Select the language drop-down menu at the top of the left-hand column to choose from ~ 30 different programming languages!)
issuehub.io/
codetriage.com/
And finally, a good guide to best practices from the Linux Foundation:
linuxfoundation.org/resources/open...