Read on Twitter
“How to Contribute to OSS as a Newbie” thread 
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OSS? You’ve seen this term floating around, but what does it mean?
Open-source software. It basically means an app’s source code is available online for others to view, use, or change. There are projects that will even allow you to contribute.
Open-source software. It basically means an app’s source code is available online for others to view, use, or change. There are projects that will even allow you to contribute.
How to find an OSS project to contribute to?
-Research! Find a project that is centered around an interest of yours. Google your interest + "open source project."
-Ask around. Twitter is a good place to start.
*It can take time to find a project you like & that's ok. Be patient.*
-Research! Find a project that is centered around an interest of yours. Google your interest + "open source project."
-Ask around. Twitter is a good place to start.
*It can take time to find a project you like & that's ok. Be patient.*
What do you do once you find a project?
-Explore the repository
-Most projects will have docs to explain their contribution process, typically called http://README.md and http://CONTRIBUTE.md
-Join their chat room if they have one, introduce yourself & ask any
-Explore the repository
-Most projects will have docs to explain their contribution process, typically called http://README.md and http://CONTRIBUTE.md
-Join their chat room if they have one, introduce yourself & ask any
questions you have about starting
-Determine how you want to contribute
-Determine how you want to contribute
What are the different ways to contribute to OSS?
-Q&A (bug fixing, testing features, etc)
-Adding features
-Documentation (writing, editing, & translating)
-UX design
-and more
*You don’t have to be an expert to contribute! People w diff skills and skill levels can contribute*
-Q&A (bug fixing, testing features, etc)
-Adding features
-Documentation (writing, editing, & translating)
-UX design
-and more
*You don’t have to be an expert to contribute! People w diff skills and skill levels can contribute*
How do you contribute code to OSS?
A lot of you are probably more interested in contributing code. So here are the common steps you’ll take if you’re working on your 1st code submission:
-Choose an issue from repo to work on (Most repos will have tags like “good first issue”
A lot of you are probably more interested in contributing code. So here are the common steps you’ll take if you’re working on your 1st code submission:
-Choose an issue from repo to work on (Most repos will have tags like “good first issue”
assigned to issues for newbies)
-Fork and clone the official repo
-Get local instance running (Most repos will have a set-up guide)
-Create a branch in the cloned repo
-Code up solution, then test and test some more
-Push changes once you’re done
-Create a PR (pull-request) in
-Fork and clone the official repo
-Get local instance running (Most repos will have a set-up guide)
-Create a branch in the cloned repo
-Code up solution, then test and test some more
-Push changes once you’re done
-Create a PR (pull-request) in
official repo and follow PR submission guidelines if the project has one
*Keep in mind, some projects may have a more in-depth workflow process than this! Always do your research before contributing!*
*Keep in mind, some projects may have a more in-depth workflow process than this! Always do your research before contributing!*
Some Internship Programs Centered Around Open-Source:
- @outreachy
-Google's Summer of Code #GSoC
-Google’s Season of Docs
- #MLHFellowship
- @outreachy
-Google's Summer of Code #GSoC
-Google’s Season of Docs
- #MLHFellowship
There you have it! OSS Tips for Newbies. I’m not an expert and have only contributed to one OSS project, but these are things I wish someone would have told me when I started. My goal is to contribute to more OSS in the future. Lmk if you have any other questions or comments :)
