Hello there! I've got a big goal for 2024 - to become an OSS Contributor.
OSS stands for Open Source Software, and in this context, it refers to software available on Github. An OSS Contributor is someone who voluntarily participates in developing open-source software, fixing bugs, and creating documentation.
There are two main reasons I want to join:
To contribute to the spread of libraries as an OSS Contributor.
To communicate with engineers around the world in English.
I was particularly inspired by the desire to "Connect with strong engineers worldwide!" This motivation grew after reading the book "Thinking Like a World-Class Engineer," which made me eager to interact with globally active engineers.
This book is a must-read for engineers, and I highly recommend it! You can find it here: World-Class Engineers' Thought Process
Inspired by this book, rather than making a leap to work at Microsoft like the author, I decided to start with what I can do - becoming an OSS Contributor.
First, let's find some OSS projects that I can participate in!
A good OSS project usually has:
Over 1000 stars.
A "Contribution" section in its README.
Issues or pull requests updated within the last week.
It's something I already use.
Popular and active OSS projects are recommended as they are easier to join. Plus, it's easier to propose changes to a project you're already familiar with!
To find popular repositories, checking out Github trends is a great start.
Github Trending For instance, take a look at incubator-answer, ranked second in the trends with over 9000 stars. Incubator Answer on Github The README is well-written, and it looks promising!
It's a Q&A platform software for teams of all scales. Whether it's a community forums, help center, or knowledge management platform, you can always count on Answer.
The README also includes guidelines for Contributing, making it an excellent repository for aspiring contributors.
Now that we know how to find good OSS, let's prepare to become a contributor.
Remember, the spirit of "Contributing = Giving" is welcomed by everyone, and there's no interview to become a contributor.
However, if your GitHub profile doesn't clearly show who you are, you might not be readily accepted. It's basic manners to polish your GitHub profile before becoming a contributor.
Here's how I created my profile
Surprised? I was too when I realized you could display your profile like this on GitHub.
Profiles of famous engineers on GitHub can be great references:
You can create a repository with the same name as your GitHub username. This allows you to edit your profile in the README.
Here are some resources to help you edit your profile:
I truly believe OSS is the best place to contribute at your own pace and connect with engineers worldwide. Let's find OSS projects we love and start contributing!
Let's all enjoy Happy Contributing in 2024! Thank you for reading!
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.