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Open source partner?

1 pointKatsumoto1 comment

Hey guys, I'm a sophomore student in college and I've been coding (PHP) for about 7 months now & have got a few projects under my belt this year. I have a bit of spare time and am considering working on an open source project (to give back a bit & to improve my code by working with better programmers).

Although I do have an app in mind (a LIGHT team/multi person GTD list-type app : think 'Things' for mac because I had a hard time finding a good lean open source alternative to basecamp), I wouldn't mind working on another project that I find interesting.

I was hoping the good people here at HN would point me in the right direction! If perhaps any of you were either interested in developing a simple open source app (I wouldn't mind doing most the leg work), ARE developing an open source project and need an extra hand, or if you can lead me to like minded people - that would be much appreciated!

Just some info:

- I have a good amount of time to dedicate

- My focus right now is on PHP, more specifically on the Cake framework which I just picked up.

- Would love to be able to work on a project with a more experienced developer.

- Live in the US (but have a wild schedule...so time zones aren't much of an issue).

Anyway, would love to hear your input on this topic. I'll check this thread soon, and if you would like to directly contact me: farhankhalaf@gmail.com

You'll need to get involved in a pre-existing project, preferably a large one. Small projects, and projects you start yourself, won't offer a lot of opportunity for mentoring. If you happened to find a project that participates in Google Summer of Code, you might even be able to get paid to work on the project, and you'll have guaranteed good mentorship, since the mentors get graded at the end of the program and projects that don't hold up their end of the deal don't get money in the future.

If you start your own project, you will very likely be the only serious developer on the project for at least a couple of years. This seems strange, perhaps, since Open Source has a reputation for magically bringing developers together to work for the common good...but the fact is, every Open Source overnight success is one that has been in the making for years. And during those formative years, it's almost always one lone developer doing all the heavy lifting. If you start a project that heavy lifter will be you or the project will die.

That said, starting your own project and pushing it along for a few years will also teach you a lot about development. But, you won't be getting help from experienced outsiders for years to come.

Since Cake is quite new, I doubt there will be a lot of large pre-existing projects for you to jump on, but look around. Maybe there's something. I think Mambo had a project to convert to Cake, didn't they? That's still a pretty big project, despite the Joomla mutiny a few years back. I've not been impressed with Joomla, so I've also avoided Mambo, but maybe they've learned their lessons (or maybe it's exhibiting second system effect, by now).

Most Open Source projects welcome additional hands. If you start sending patches, you will generally get feedback. If you take part in the mailing list, and ask to be involved in a more official capacity, it's likely you'll be welcomed in. We certainly don't chase people off when they start sending patches (though we've probably been less good about mentoring and encouraging additional development, in the past, than we should have been).

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