Contributing to Open Source as a Contributor and Maintainer

Contributing to Open Source can be an intimidating task. As a contributor, you often have to work on getting familiar with a project to contribute to it. As a maintainer, you are responsible for making the project move forward and manage contributions. Whether you are a maintainer or contributor, both sides have their challenges.

In this talk, I want to share my experience and perspective from contributing to Open Source projects from both sides, while sharing tips on how to start contributing to a new project and keeping a project appealing to new contributors. By the end of the talk, you’ll understand how we can collaborate more effectively by understanding each side.

Transcript

1. Contributing to Open Source as a Contributor and Maintainer Isabel Costa @isabelcmdcosta isabelcosta.github.io
2. → Software Engineer at Globality → AnitaB.org Open Source Admin & contributor & maintainer → GSoC 2018, 2020; GCI 2019 → Mentor at Coding Black Females Isabel Costa @isabelcmdcosta @isabelcosta isabelcosta.github.io
3. What to expect? • Becoming contributor... • 7 lessons learned && tips as a contributor • Becoming a maintainer... • How I maintain • 7 lessons learned && tips as a maintainer • Final thoughts @isabelcmdcosta
4. Becoming a Contributor... @isabelcmdcosta
5. I want to … How to start? Open Source @isabelcmdcosta
6. REJECTED 2016 @isabelcmdcosta
7. Then one day ... @isabelcmdcosta
8. Dec 2017: First PR during 24 Pull Requests @isabelcmdcosta
9. Contributing steps were very simple! @isabelcmdcosta
10. Dec ‘17: My first Open Source PR merged! Pull Request: https://github.com/fvcproductions/hire-me/pull/9 @isabelcmdcosta
11. ACCEPTED 2018 @isabelcmdcosta
12. @isabelcmdcosta
13. 3 intense months of working in Open Source! @isabelcmdcosta
14. What did I learn from being a contributor? Here’s 7 lessons @isabelcmdcosta
15. It helps caring about what you’re contributing to @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 1
16. Why I contribute • Practise and learn new skills • Build portfolio • Give back to community (Volunteerism) • I love the community aspect of OS @isabelcmdcosta
17. There’s a lot of resources and projects you can contribute to @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 2
18. Projects @isabelcmdcosta
19. Initiatives @isabelcmdcosta
20. You don’t have to code to contribute to Open Source @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 3
21. Design @isabelcmdcosta Source: https://github.com/genuinetools/pepper/pull/4
22. Quality Assurance @isabelcmdcosta
23. Content @isabelcmdcosta
24. Content Source: https://github.com/scala-exercises/exercises-fpinscala/pull/55 @isabelcmdcosta
25. Content @isabelcmdcosta
26. Bug fixes Source: https://github.com/getodk/collect/pull/1986
27. Feedback Credit: http://systers-opensource.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-importance-of-feedback.html @isabelcmdcosta
28. Other ways to contribute • Review pull requests from other contributors • Implement features and fix bugs • Be a mentor for a OS program/initiative • Help others contribute • Write documentation • Outreach / Research (e.g.: blog posts, promote a project, ...) • Report bugs • Manage issues and contributors • … bring what you’re good at to the table! @isabelcmdcosta
29. Not all projects or communities behave the same way @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 4
30. Be honest and set expectations @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 5
31. Confidence comes with time @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 6
32. Contribution Workflow Fork Clone Work Commit & Push Submit PR Ask questions!
33. Getting the most out of Open Source requires effort Lesson 7
34. So pay attention to ... • Is the community beginner friendly? ◦ Code of Conduct & Reporting Guidelines? • Is the community transparent? • Is the community inclusive? ◦ Look at community discussions • Is it open for every type of contributions? • Is the project active? ◦ Last commit date? # Open issues and PRs @isabelcmdcosta
35. After 3 intense months of working in Open Source! @isabelcmdcosta
36. Becoming a Maintainer... @isabelcmdcosta
37. This can be fun … Open Source @isabelcmdcosta
38. How did I start maintaining projects? @isabelcmdcosta
39. @isabelcmdcosta
40. @isabelcmdcosta
41. How do I maintain projects? @isabelcmdcosta
42. Two contributors helped me reviewing a PR! @isabelcmdcosta
43. This can be fun … Open Source So is it all fun now? @isabelcmdcosta
44. I merged a PR that broke the Swagger Docs! @isabelcmdcosta
45. I managed to fix it! @isabelcmdcosta
46. A newcomer struggling, didn’t give up! (...) @isabelcmdcosta
47. What did I learn from being a maintainer, so far? Here’s 7 lessons @isabelcmdcosta
48. You don’t have to know everything @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 1
49. You can learn from contributors @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 2
50. Source: https://github.com/anitab-org/mentorship-backend/issues/464 @isabelcmdcosta
51. You can get people from a wide range of experience @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 3
52. It can be stressful to manage a demanding project @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 4
53. You can share work as a maintainer @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 5
54. Contributors don’t just come and find your project @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 6
55. Tips to attract contributors • Promote project through outreach ◦ Participate in OS initiatives ◦ Write & Talk about it • Easy development environment • Have a Roadmap • Beginner issues (“good first issue” or “first timer only”) • Communication channels • Good Documentation @isabelcmdcosta
56. Documentation Contributor Maintainer @isabelcmdcosta
57. @isabelcmdcosta
58. Resources License → https://choosealicense.com/ Code of Conduct → https://www.contributor-covenant.org/ Best practises for Maintainers & Contributors, etc → https://opensource.guide/ Automation tools: • GitHub Actions, Codecov, Codacy, Code Climate, CircleCI, TravisCI, ... Bot highlight: all-contributors/all-contributors @isabelcmdcosta
59. Being a maintainer is being a leader @isabelcmdcosta Lesson 7
60. Final Thoughts... @isabelcmdcosta What can we do to help each other?
61. @isabelcmdcosta
62. This is a 2 way relation! @isabelcmdcosta
63. Be patient Be open Be kind @isabelcmdcosta
64. "(...) the world is a better place when everyone takes time to understand one another. (...)" from Special Books by Special Kids video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWrZQZb4BM @isabelcmdcosta
65. Thank you! @isabelcmdcosta @isabelcosta isabelcosta.github.io