We hosted an insightful webinar in Facebook Developer’s Circle Uyo on the 25th of July, 2020 themed Open Source Contributions: What, How and Why. The aim of the webinar was to get beginners started with open source contributions and to introduce the Open Source Immersion program by Facebook Developer Circles.
The session was led by Zainab Abubakar who is a Software Engineer at Interswitch and the Open Source Programs Coordinator at She Code Africa. In Zainab’s words, Open Source Software is a software that the source code is made freely available to the public so that anyone can make open source contributions to the software and benefit from it.
Why Should you Contribute to Open Source?
It gives you experience and opportunity to practice what you know.
It is open to beginners so you can contribute to open source without any experience.
You can get paid to contribute by applying for paid Open Source internships like Outreachy, Season of Docs, etc.
Getting Started with Open Source
The speaker also shared insightful tips on how to get started with contributing to Open Source.
- Most times, people always want to start with the big projects, then eventually give up when it is too difficult for them. It is advisable to start with smaller projects to gain more experience in contributing to open source before delving into bigger projects.
- Familiarize yourself with the community behind the project because that community is the building block of Open Source software.
- Feel free to ask questions when you are confused.
- Join open source related activities like the Open Source immersion program to keep you motivated.
- Join an Open Source community.
- Write articles on how to use particular software.
- Donate funds to an Open Source organization.
- Write and publish articles about open source softwares.
Conclusion
It is important to understand that open source is for everyone and the tips listed above are not just for developers but also for designers, writers, volunteers, etc.
Click here Open Source Immersion Program to learn more about the Open Source Immersion program by Facebook Developer Circle.