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How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
51–60 of 98 posts
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#52For many projects, Github is just a place to publish yet another public repo. Using github issues and pull requests is a sure fire way to feel ignored. If you want to contribute, e-mail the lead maintainer. Do not submit patches to the ether. Do not think anyone will look at your patches. Having started several large open source projects, and started / worked for a number of open source companies, I can tell you the…
That doesn't sound like a sound advice. If the author of the repo can't be bothered to look at the issue or a PR then I don't see how they'll be receptive to emails. Most projects don't have other ways of contacting the people involved (very few list their e-mail addresses and even less have dedicated irc or slack channels). Yes, it happens way too often that issues and PRs are ignored but realistically it's a strong…
> If the author of the repo can't be bothered to look at the issue or a PR then I don't see how they'll be receptive to emails.
There's an assumption here that GitHub is automatically more convenient and desirable than an email or other project management tools. That's not a universal sentiment; not everyone wants to participate in the GitHub social network, and even tools themselves that GitHub offers are a step down depending on who you ask (like the pull request mechanism and issues and what they try to pass off as a "wiki" and...)
So just because a project and its maintainers don't have a big showing on GitHub, don't assume that means anything about the health of the project. It may just mean they have better places and ways to spend their time and get things done.
> Most projects don't have other ways of contacting the people involved
Why do you think the email field that shows up in git's log was put in place? Honest question.
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#53This is a great start! Contributing can be a lot more than just PRs though: - answering questions on stack overflow, chat (irc, gitter, slack) - creating a minimal code repro, checking for duplicates, checking if a bug is fixed in a later release/master branch - writing tutorials/usage scenarios, giving talks, just using the project and providing feedback - helping with documentation + website - translations if possi…
helping with documentation + website I am not a programmer. I do copywriting for pay and I have run a bunch of different personal websites over the years (15+ years, I think). I know a little HTML and CSS. I am interested in getting involved in open source via first working on copywriting and website stuff, since that is what I already have a background in. I am finding it extremely opaque to figure out how on earth…
That depends largely on what you want to edit. Websites might be static pages, generated from some simpler markup language or hosted on a form of CMS. Documentation is often generated from source code comments to some extent.
If you can't easily figure out where it is stored and how it is generated you should probably ask along with your inquiry whether the maintainers would be interested in contributions in that area.
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
helping with documentation + website I am not a programmer. I do copywriting for pay and I have run a bunch of different personal websites over the years (15+ years, I think). I know a little HTML and CSS. I am interested in getting involved in open source via first working on copywriting and website stuff, since that is what I already have a background in. I am finding it extremely opaque to figure out how on earth…
That depends largely on what you want to edit. Websites might be static pages, generated from some simpler markup language or hosted on a form of CMS. Documentation is often generated from source code comments to some extent. If you can't easily figure out where it is stored and how it is generated you should probably ask along with your inquiry whether the maintainers would be interested in contributions in that are…
Okay, so, you are suggesting I figure out who the project lead is and email them as my first step?
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#55For many projects, Github is just a place to publish yet another public repo. Using github issues and pull requests is a sure fire way to feel ignored. If you want to contribute, e-mail the lead maintainer. Do not submit patches to the ether. Do not think anyone will look at your patches. Having started several large open source projects, and started / worked for a number of open source companies, I can tell you the…
> e-mail the lead maintainer.
Check that there is not a mailing list first. This is where the "read the contributing guide" kicks in.
I for example have quite a lot of filters, that make sure I reply to mailing lists, but if you email me directly, you may end up lumped in with all the commercial "include my $thing in your project please" emails (purely by accident)
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#56Shudder . This embodies all that is wrong with open source development these days. Horrible GitHub workflow: corporate logos, octop^Hcat, CoC shoved in your face on every commit. I'm currently forced to contribute to a GitHub project, it is the most annoying, bureaucratic and brainwashing workflow I've ever experienced.
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Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
That depends largely on what you want to edit. Websites might be static pages, generated from some simpler markup language or hosted on a form of CMS. Documentation is often generated from source code comments to some extent. If you can't easily figure out where it is stored and how it is generated you should probably ask along with your inquiry whether the maintainers would be interested in contributions in that are…
Okay, so, you are suggesting I figure out who the project lead is and email them as my first step?
The preferred form of communication also depends on the project. Do they have an issue tracker? If so you could probably file one along the lines of "Page X could use some improvement" and ask whether they're interested and how it's done.
Some projects use mailing lists, forums or even irc.
Open, group-based forms of communication are usually preferred because it allows anyone qualified to respond instead of pinning it on a particular person.
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Projects need design as well. Websites, logos, manuals/documentation: there are plenty of opportunities for designers as well.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12881822 If you could elaborate a bit on how to get involved in the non-programming piece for us non-programmers, like designers and copywriters, the world will be a slightly better place. Thanks.
I think the key is to find a project you care about, or care enough about that you're willing to put in the effort to get to know the project and how it works. Some communities will be easier to get involved with than others. It's great that people want to get involved and volunteer their time and effort. They also need to keep in mind that managing the community takes effort as well, and that increases by some margin with every new contributor. Try to be as self-supporting as possible.
That goes for any project you want to get involved with, regardless of how you want to participate. And probably stuff you already know.
Want to work on the website? Documentation? Does the project already have tickets or tags for these types of issues? Maybe a separate mailing list? Look at the issue tracker. Subscribe to the mailing list. Look at the mailing list archives. The commit history for the website or documentation. How recent is the work? Who are the people involved? After you've gotten the lay of the land, figure out where you might want to start and ask if people the project would be open to having you work on it. Maybe take a stab at it yourself to get accustomed to the project and tool chain. Take a look at what's there already. How would you improve it? Compare it with sites or documentation for other projects you think are good or enjoy using. What can you apply from those sites to the project you want to work on?
For contributing and improving documentation, if you're new to the project, you've got a great opportunity to help produce better content for new users. What were your stumbling blocks? What was hard to find? What would you have liked to see as you were getting started?
And remember, you're likely entering the epitome of bikesheds.[0] :) Wear a thick skin! Some of my first contributions were in design and documentation. People like well-designed things. And they can be a great introduction to a community.
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Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12881822 If you could elaborate a bit on how to get involved in the non-programming piece for us non-programmers, like designers and copywriters, the world will be a slightly better place. Thanks.
I think the key is to find a project you care about, or care enough about that you're willing to put in the effort to get to know the project and how it works. Some communities will be easier to get involved with than others. It's great that people want to get involved and volunteer their time and effort. They also need to keep in mind that managing the community takes effort as well, and that increases by some margi…
I have a pretty thick skin. :-) As someone who is strongly people-oriented and likes to debug the wetware/collective crap, I would say that the Law of Triviality grows out of the need to hash out important human elements, such as good communication protocols, trust between members, etc. It lays the groundwork for doing good work when the chips are down.
Thank you for the long, detailed reply. I think this will help me.
Re: How to contribute to an open source project on GitHub
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay, so, you are suggesting I figure out who the project lead is and email them as my first step?
The preferred form of communication also depends on the project. Do they have an issue tracker? If so you could probably file one along the lines of "Page X could use some improvement" and ask whether they're interested and how it's done. Some projects use mailing lists, forums or even irc. Open, group-based forms of communication are usually preferred because it allows anyone qualified to respond instead of pinning…
Thank you. This helps. I get told all the time "Just do X!" and then I try X and it blows up in my face because it turns out you only do X under (long list of conditions that no one ever told me and assumed I knew).