Thread by @aclairefication

Getting started with Breaking into #Opensource with @michaelminella and @bobpaulin
devnexus.com/presentations/… #DevNexus

Economics and self-interest perspective of why people are contributing to #opensource - not because they want to but because they /need/ it! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

#Opensource is more than just the code! (content, tests, etc) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Communities around opensource - software in general is made by people
Communities play a bigger role than most people give credit (built, distributed, etc) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Things to watch out for in communities? Code on Github is the individual model
Eventually call these people benevolent dictators for life (one person who holds the keys to these projects)
There are inherent risks to this... @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

How often do we see forks (successfully) happen in the wild? Not often! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus
// I've seen this for projects whose maintainers have moved on...

Foundations have rules about how voting works in communities (whether code can be committed, how we release code)
@TheASF is famously decentralized but has a framework (the incubator) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Defining rules about who is responsible? Committers have to sign a contributor license agreement (CLA) - what's committed is their responsibility not @TheASF (e.g. committer responsible for not committing something they shouldn't) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

@EclipseFdn Foundation requires CLA to submit contribution
Bug fixes usually aren't considered intellectual property, but if it's IP it's removed from the project @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

To contribute to #opensource , do I have to have my employer approve anything? You want to do that (think about your employment agreement)
For independents, intellectual property rules would be documented in Master Service Agreements (MSAs) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Corporate #opensource stewardship? IP and CLAs still apply. Now dealing with ownership across companies... need company approval due to employment agreements @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Corporate #opensource stewardship? Common to have that benevolent dictator model. Not as much design by committee as with @TheASF (more similar to what you normally do in your regular company projects) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Corporate #opensource stewardship? Product/business weighing in on decisions, not foundation PMCs voting.
Within the @TheASF model, my authority/karma/merit travels with me @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Want to get a job? Could contribute to #opensource that's under corporate stewardship @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Why contribute? For you? For your company?
Your company gets benefits they can't get anywhere else
@michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Because #opensource exists, companies can take advantage of maintenance cost reduction (get some work for free)
If not involved in the community, not involved in the decision-making process...
Involved? You own your own destiny! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Influence the roadmap by becoming a contributor - I'm going to build this! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Recruiting through #opensource ? Most overlooked by companies! People can see your employees are contributing, sometimes from company (email) account @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Get access to people - people like to work with smart people!
Can evaluate your candidates (e.g. evaluate source code of a project discussed in interview)
Look at the message boards/mailing list to consider the "no a**hole" rule!
@michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Why contribute to #opensource - for you as an individual? Street credit! The ultimate answer to whether you can code or not (code, tests, team interactions, etc). @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Saying you're an #opensource contributor is a smaller crowd - opens up new doors, considered an expert on that! Like writing a book... @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Not just credibility but an ego boost to be recognized for your #opensource work @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

What about when you get feedback/questions on your pull request? Could consider that criticism... you're getting someone else's time for free - mentorship! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Why contribute to #opensource - for you as an individual?
Mentorship, e.g. an icon of your industry reading your code, giving you feedback?
Globalization of your network: can bring #opensource code with you to your next role @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

With #opensource I get to tell you about my past projects and I have credibility/shared interest with people from around the world @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Which project to contribute to in #opensource ? Digging through your own tech stack, you may find a piece of technology you are interested in extending @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Working on a project you're interested in, what you're working on, what's causing you pain - all good ways to choose which project to contribute to in #opensource ! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

What to contribute to #opensource ? Tests, documentation, blog posts to help people to understand how to implement frameworks/libraries. (Not just features & bugs in the projects themselves.) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Often writing code is not where to start - #documentation ? New eyes can see problems in the docs that the maintainers don't notice because they can't see what's hard anymore @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Often writing code is not where to start - support? for a Dev community getting started, they value people on the dev lists, users lists, message boards to answer questions @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

#opensource projects in a corporate model - when looking for people to hire, looking at the contributors & actively reach out to them! Flips the model (not people applying to jobs, companies asking people to join them) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Connecting with the #opensource commmunity is always the best thing to do before submitting a pull request! @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Ask the #opensource community a question when you're thinking about implementing something - will you get resistance on the thing you're about to spend a lot of time working on? @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Connecting with people - is there interest in the #opensource community about the problem I'd like to solve? @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Creating a patch or pull request: smaller or more frequent patches are more likely to get integrated into the system! Create a separate PR for each - easier to review, more clear, etc @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Accept feedback! Your first couple of PRs are very likely to get feedback (context of the codebase, history, how it got to this point) - it's nothing personal! All love the code, all trying to do the same thing. @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Etiquette: have empathy with what you're writing! People are coming from different countries
Try to take what you read in the least harmful way! (Not trying to offend you)
@michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Etiquette: Keeping things brief! Be as concise as possible & avoid misinterpretation. Take the extra time to choose your words carefully @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Etiquette: a lot of #opensource is volunteer so may not get attention quickly... how can I help you? @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Don't self-select! Our industry has a diversity problem in general. #opensource is worse - just because you don't see someone like you contributing doesn't mean you can't contribute @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

If you have an idea, communicate and try things out! We [ #opensource communities] really are nice people
Opensource is becoming more #inclusive (mentorship, more aware, etc) @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

Opensource is becoming more #inclusive . Corporate and foundation people are making sure people are not being discriminatory toward members @michaelminella @bobpaulin #opensource #DevNexus

Q: how do companies make money if the licensing is free? Selling support. Building products on top of #opensource . Building commercial versions of opensource. @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

People who know how to use it, how to meld it are making the money in #opensource @michaelminella @bobpaulin #DevNexus

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