[PLUG] From {proprietary consumer} TO {FOSS contributor} HOW???

[Ben Koenig]

On Sat, Mar 28, 2020 at 12:10 PM Mike C. <mconnors1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> >
> > That page answers a slightly different question than I was attempting to
> > ask. It focuses on "W here"to contribute "What".
> >
>
> In my experience, the what is a harder question to answer because it will
> vary greatly depending on the project, ones interests and skills/talents.
>
> What I've come to realize is that the Linux community is very much about
> individual interests. A prime example is Linus Torvalds stating publicly
> that he has not interest in the Linux desktop.
>
>
Linus is a perfect example of this challenge because his contributions to
open source are huge, but the number of projects he contributes to is very
very small. All of his focus is on things that benefit him personally.
Whether it's creating an alternative to MSDOS and UNIX (Linux kernel), a
distributed source code management system to make his job easier (git), or
a library to help with calculations used in scuba diving (subsurface).
Releasing his code open source is really just a side effect of the fact
that he's not actually interested in the code itself, but rather, the goal
he is trying to achieve.

Personally, I believe that if a problem is worth complaining about, then it
is worth fixing. People who use windows complain bitterly, all the time
about windows this, or windows that. It's a cacaphony of complaints that
never get heard by Microsoft. On an open source platform, I don't need
anyone's permission to fix a bug. I just go do it. It's not about the code,
it's about my ability to fix the code.



> If I were trying to do what you are I'd start with getting clearer about
> what I'm really interested in and what I have to bring to the table
>
> From my experience, that's harder to do. It's easier to ask others what
> they need. Figuring it out for oneself is a slower process of refinement.
>
>
+1 Start by telling us more about your personal interests. Hobbies?
Careers? Personal Vendetta? The FOSS community is massive and incredibly
diverse. If you start by telling us what you like to do with your free
time, someone here will probably be able to recommend a project.


The reality for me is that I have many things Linux & FOSS that interest me
> and a relatively small skill set to apply usefully.
>
> -- HTH --
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