contributing_to_open_source.txt

# contributing to open source - notes
# session w/ Mel Chua (resident)
# june 18, 2013

EXAMPLE OF FINDING AN OPEN-SOURCE PROJECT TO WORK ON:
topic: graphics rendering
google: graphics rendering open source
open some project pages
--see if you can download the software yourself
--find contact information for developers, page showing how you contribute to the project, determine whether the project is still being updated/ongoing, look for bug tracker, check how recently the forums have been updated, "mean person check" (do people respond nicely to questions?)
--"bug tracker": giant shared to-do list for a project (e.g. - issues in github)
--follow specific people: in the forums, in the bug tracker, etc. (active developers) - follow their commits.
--basically you need to decide whether this is a good project with smart, nice developers.
--working on an issue in the bug tracker is probably not a race - there is always a lot of work to be done, and not enough people to do it.
** focus more on the community and how good/nice/active they are, rather than the technical details and whether or not you have the technical skills to contribute.  "the people are more important than the code."

HOW TO START CONTRIBUTING:
"learn how to overhear things, and how to contribute to that conversation"
sometimes the bug tracker will have a newbies section
sometimes you need to "wikipedia your way through the words"
subscribe to commit notifications (RSS feed, mailing list, etc.) and don't reply for at least a week.
send your introduction email to 2-3 projects - see if you get a reply, or if the reply is mean :)