How to add code back to an open source project?

Question

If you are running an open source project and want to make changes to the code, what do you need to do?

Answer 1

I would spend time getting to know people first. Usually they have an IRC chat where everyone is idle. Take the time to get to know people, study the code, view the documentation, and then, if you feel that you are approaching the project correctly, start contributing to bug fixes. Do not try to add new features first. They are usually not accepted.

Also see this Google tech tip How to protect an open source project from poisonous people . He will teach you what not to do.

Answer 2

The best way to do this is to introduce yourself like this: "Hello, Here is a bug / function, and here is a patch that fixes / implements it."

I participate in several open source projects, and there are many people with the best intentions to help, but who never really do anything, so if you find working code, you will be considered much more valuable.

Answer 3

As the previous posters noted, this is a matter for the project. You will find that some of them are more open to change than others. From a mechanical point of view, you will need to see if they use SVN (for example, google code) or CVS (for example, in sourceforge) and determine whether they use a patch or some other method.

A good example of such a procedure that you can use can be seen on the gimp website: http://www.gimp.org/bugs/howtos/submit-patch.html Pay attention to their use of Bugzilla, patch and CVS

Answer 4

As the creator of several open source projects, I am on the other side of things in that I'm trying to get contributors. Here is what I would say:

• Proclaim yourself depending on which path is suitable for the project: email, mailing list, forum, etc.
• See if your idea is already at work. If so, try to help, not duplicate the effort.
• Find out your preferred way to submit your code.
• Be sure to follow the coding styles used in the project. (If you decide to convert all tabs to spaces, they won’t be able to easily merge your changes into the version control system and will most likely ignore your view.)

Answer 5

Such things were simple.

There was a mailing list for users and one for developers. If you see a problem and can fix it, fix it, then run Larry Wall Patch and send the patch to the list of developers with a quick explanation of what it does. As a rule, a developer with write access to CVS (or in real old days, on which the project was located on a diskette;)) would check everything, and if your patch does what it says in tins and does not break anything else, it falls into the original tree itself.

Nowadays, there are many, many more projects that use open source development, and many of them are managed by people who never run a software project before let alone open source, so it can be more complicated. As a rule, sending out a patch for those who make a lot of developers in the right area of ​​the project gets the right eyes, looking at it quickly even today. Watching the online repository will tell you the people who do the work, and not those who get their names on the first page of the website, first contact these guys :)

Answer 6

A few other things to keep in mind:

• Be sure that you have your own code that you want to make back, and not your employer or client for whom you made changes. Check your employment or service agreement if you are likely to be in such a situation.

• Examine whether there is an intellectual property assignment process that developers prefer to participants. Nowadays, many open source projects have such purposes, so that all rights to the code in the project may belong to the project and / or its sponsor.

Both of these factors are important when it comes to protecting yourself, the project, and anyone who wants to use or build the project downstream from claims related to the code you wrote.

Answer 7

If you are looking for ways to participate on a smaller scale (perhaps for work), OpenHatch has a searchable error database (sorted by language / framework), as well as an excellent tutorial to get you started.

Another way to get started is CodeTriage , in which GitHub repositories look for help in fixing open issues, which are also organized using the language.

Answer 8

The first thing you need to do is get in touch with the main people who run the open source project. Ask them if it's okay to contribute to the code and go from there.

Just writing improved code and then passing it on can cause your code to crash.

Answer 9

It depends on the project, on how and where it is located. It’s best to find a contact and email it or see if there is a developer mailing list.

Answer 10

Get chat on IRC or browse newsgroups, if any. find out for yourself. You may need to send patches to a newsgroup before you are given an account to submit.

Familiarize yourself with coding standards, patch types (e.g. unified diff), and check a copy of your CVS or SVN if they allow anonymous access.