How to get started with Open Source
Let me tell you a story. When I first replaced Windows with Linux on my desktop 8 years ago, debates raged on online forums about whether open-source Linux would ever surpass its closed-source competitor. It did, but not on the desktop. Linux-based Android is now the most widespread mobile operating system. The majority of servers now also run Linux.
How did a piece of software created by a bunch of volunteers displace competitors backed by R&D budgets in the hundreds of millions? Well, that is the power of the open source community.
What is Open Source Software?
Open-source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. It is released under various licenses like BSD, Apache 2.0, etc. As source code is publicly available, people have the opportunity to learn from the best engineers around the world. And when you follow code written by great programmers, you automatically tend to pick up some great practices while coding.
There are many other advantages to contributing to open source - you can make a great resumé that stands out from the crowd. It also helps you build an online presence.
How to get started?
Let’s get to why you came here. How to get started?
There are a number of resources online to help you with this — you’ll soon find out that the open source community is really welcoming and friendly.
Similarly, it is important to get to know GitHub. After all, GitHub is the most popular platform for open source collaboration, so you’ll probably use it when exploring the world of OSS. GitHub’s Hello World is a great read.
Another cool thing to check out is what someone else’s first contribution was. Check out that here. I think you’ll find that most people’s first PRs were relatively small like mine
Summary
So this was it: get started with open source development, and you’ll soon reap the benefits of learning from the best programmers/engineers around the world. The next post is going to be about the power of habits and how it gets us closer to our goals, so stay tuned!