Contributing to Open Source Software
👋 Welcome!
I’m Bob, I like science, people, code and records.
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A one month celebration of Open Source on GitHub.
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Meaningful contributions to the open source ecosystem.
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4 pull requests to a public repository on GitHub to get a t-shirt or a tree (new conditions apply).
What is Open Source?
Software whose source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.
Examples
Linux, Firefox, R & R packages, python, Apollo-11, vscode, This Talk!
Why open source?
- Open and reproducible research
- Less need to reinvent
- Lower costs sometimes (e.g. cloud OS)
- Find collaborators
An open source challenge:
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Multiple contibutors to the same code with different ideas about what it should look like.
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Needs people and software tools.
Tools that enable version control and open collaboration…
+many more.
Workflow
(Much) more on this later in breakout sessions.
Open source is about people
- Follow codes of conduct e.g. Docker.
- Follow contributing guidlelines e.g. Docker.
Note to self - show people these links.
Get Started with Hacktoberfest
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Sign up to GitHub, register with Hacktoberfest
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Find something to work on:
- search on GitHub
label:hacktoberfest state:open language:R- Or issuehub
Potential contributions
- improving documentation,
- making new examples,
- adding tests,
- adding functionality
Work on something you use!
Contribution Examples
Good:
Minor changes to fix a huge problem
Not so good (spam?):
Hacktoberfest guiding values:
Everyone is welcome!
Participants in Hacktoberfest represented 151 countries and thousands of unique skill sets. This program welcomes everyone already who’s already part of the open source software community, and anyone who is interested in sectioning in.
Quantity is fun, quality is key.
Participating in Hacktoberfest leads to personal growth, professional opportunities, and community building. However, it all begins with meaningful contributions to open source software.
Short-term action, long-term impact.
In the open source software community, we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. Your participation has a lasting effect on people and technology long after October. This is a voyage not a race.
Resources
Video introduction to open source
Getting Started with git