The Pragmatic Open Source Contributor: A Guide
2025-04-01
This article addresses common barriers preventing salaried programmers from contributing to open source projects and offers a pragmatic guide. It argues that contributing isn't just for personal growth, but also to improve software crucial to a business. A six-step process is outlined: legal approval, understanding the project, getting maintainer buy-in, coding, completing additional work (like documentation), and final submission/follow-up. The author emphasizes communication, suggesting developers engage with maintainers early and follow established processes for better success. The article concludes by highlighting the benefits of open source contribution and encourages active participation.
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open source contribution