How to get started with open source development 1

[infinitelo]

I would like to improve/tune my programming skills, is it a good idea to contribute code to open source or should i keep it to myself. From a career standpoint, my current job does not require a lot of programming and was wondering if this is a good way to keep up-to-date.


if it is to be it's up to me

 

[jrbarnett]

Hi,

Contributing code to open source projects will certainly improve your programming skills, especially if they are in languages that you want to learn or software that interests you.
Take a look at

http://www.sourceforge.net

and click on the "Project Help Wanted" link on the left hand side and see if anything there interests you.

John

 

[chiph]

jrbarnett is correct - find a small project that needs help, and that you think is within your abilities to accomplish, and have at it. It'll be a great way to extend your skills, as the best way to learn to write software is to write a *lot* of code.

I personally wouldn't put your work on a OSS project on your CV/resume, unless you were looking to work at a firm that has some involvement with open-source. I'd consider bringing it up during the interview, depending on what your "feel" for the firm is. My concern is that they might think: "this guy will be spending company time on this other project when he should be working on our stuff"

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[RoguePoet01]

I've been meaning to do the same myself with the K-meleon project.

The freebies I've seen with PHP really impress me.

My programming skills are solid enough, but my understanding of languages is limited, so I can't really contribute yet.

But I look forward to, someday.

I'd really like to see the whole open source philosophy transfer into other areas of our economy.

I personally think that such a shift would bring about a kind of paradise.

I think that we have everything we need around us, right now, to manifest a true utopia...but the ignorance and greed, the lazy's and the control freaks do everything that they can to impede that growth.

 

[AnanthaP]

Other ways to help in OSS projects:

(1) Contribute as a tester.
(2) Contribute as a distributor (not a firm).
(3) Contribute as an evangelist.
(4) In your personal working environment, use OSS and freeware if your emloyer's policy permits it.
(5) Otherwise consider telling your bosses that open source really costs less in the long run for most office and computing needs.

Cheers and congratulations on taking the first step.

End.

 

[jrbarnett]

To add to AnanthaP's suggestions above, you could write documentation for it as well.
If you have real world use of the product, writing configuration guides or help files/man pages (depending on the system) is an essential part of a professional software product.

John

 

[chiph]

Given what I've seen of most OSS projects, they all could *really* use some help with the documentation!

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first