This short video describes how programmers can contribute to free or open source software projects.


More DIY videos at 5min.com

Video Transcription

watchmojo.com If you are not sure where to start contributing, then the first thing you need to check is the bug tracker for your project. Bug Trackers are where developers and users put in bug reports and future request for the project. They are usually chuck-full of plaintiff cries from users looking for a particular feature that they really need or deadly bugs that are halting the development of the project. If, on the other hand, you are a greasy code monkey looking to scale the heights and join the exulted ranks of developers like Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds, then the place that you traditionally should start is by scratching your itch. If there is a particular feature or a contribution that you need and you want to make to your project, then that is where you really need to be in. As a programmer, you need to remember that it is a virtue to be lazy. Avoid luring your own projects if you can. What you want to do is find a project that you can contribute to. You will find that the internet is a graveyard littered with a half finished remains of some programmers’ bright idea. watchmojo.com