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Discussion on: I learnt Python a year ago, is there some open source projects I can contribute in?

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Jared Hirsch

It's great that you're interested in GSoC, but you could just directly start contributing now (the GSoC application process won't start until the spring of 2020). In general, open source projects are so happy to have new contributors that they'll help you get involved without any elaborate application process.

Good open source experiences tend to involve larger, stable projects with friendly and consistent maintainers.

You can figure out if a given Github repo fits the bill by looking at:

  • recent activity (insights tab - contributors item, are there recent commits, or has the repo gone quiet?)
  • pull requests (how long have they been there? are the comments rude or kind?)
  • issues in the issue tracker (again, how old are they? are issues filed by outsiders handled promptly and with respect?)
  • and the presence (or absence) of docs in the repo on how to contribute and a code of conduct.

Project communications are good to look at, too, whether that's gitter, slack, or a mailing list: are plans aired in the open, or is code dropped on the community without a chance for public comment? Are the core devs respectful and kind? Does their conversation follow their own code of conduct? If new people ask for help, do they get help, or are they ignored?

Mozilla has a strong contributor community, and we have a ton of python projects that might be worth checking out, have a look: github.com/mozilla?language=python

You could also look for projects whose maintainers invest in improving their community. For instance, check out the people and projects listed here: us.pycon.org/2019/hatchery/maintai....

Good luck!