Presented at All Things Open 2018 Presented by Peter Elbaum with Smashing Boxes 10/23/18 - 3:00 PM - 101 Track

1. Navigating the Highs and
Lows of Open Source
Peter Elbaum, Software Engineer at Smashing Boxes
@pjelbaum

2. Why This Talk?
● How to get the most out of contributing to open source while providing the most benefit to projects
● Inspire potential first-time contributors; a fresh perspective for veterans
● Strategies for dealing with the joy and occasional pain of OSS
● A case study @pjelbaum

3. Why Contribute?
● OSS runs on communities and contributions
● You learn a bunch
● Relationships the world over
@pjelbaum

4. 1. Get Started
● Conferences (like this one!) are great resources
● Pick something and learn as you go
● The importance of just starting
@pjelbaum

5. 2. Think Big
● Some of the more well-known codebases are vast, which can speed up your learning
● Well-maintained projects give you a picture of how things should be done
● Prestige factor (if that matters to you)
@pjelbaum

6. Think Big
@pjelbaum

7. Think Big
@pjelbaum

8. 3. Assume the Best of Others
● Text is a terrible medium for the nuances of speech in general
● Syntax.fm: many people are ESL speakers; some messages can read with bluntness
● Sometimes, people are just trolls
● Focus on giving back and learning, and get out if it’s really bad @pjelbaum

9. Assume the Best of Others
@pjelbaum

10. 4. Use Pre-Existing Skills
● Non-programming skills are valuable in OSS. Think: writing, editing, social media, community
building, foreign language skills, design
● Using your existing skills can be an entree to using your programming skills
● A vibrant OSS community benefits from multiple perspectives
@pjelbaum

11. 5. Align Your Values with Your Contributions
● Github: Great for New Contributors
● Help nonprofits via freeCodeCamp (and fCC itself)
● Good for longevity, community, continued learning
@pjelbaum

12. 6. Ease In
● Simpler commits can build confidence
● Any contributions help build relationships within the project’s community
● A way to get a sense of the best way you can contribute
@pjelbaum

13. Ease In
@pjelbaum

14. 7. Make Mistakes
● Making mistakes is a great way to improve; part of deliberate practice
● Well-maintained projects have a defined contribution process, i.e. you’ll have plenty of checks and
balances
● Don’t worry about publicly screwing up, and if you run into trolls see #3
@pjelbaum

15. 8. Learn
● There will be topics you haven’t encountered, and that’s good
● Claiming an issue can be a great way to learn something you’re interested in
● Use wisdom here, and ask for help if you’ve taken on too much
@pjelbaum

16. 9. Encourage Others
● Open Source is non-intuitive
● Kent C. Dodds: Learn, Build, Teach; everyone is a step ahead of someone
● Makes contributing more accessible
@pjelbaum

17. Resources
● https://www.firsttimersonly.com/
● https://firstcontributions.github.io/
● https://up-for-grabs.net/#/
● https://github.com/MunGell/awesome-for-beginners
● https://www.hackerearth.com/getstarted-opensource/
@pjelbaum