Open Source Project

Hello everybody , I want to work on an open source project.

Please suggest me how to start work and what technologies I should know .

And also good links and some good article on open source projects and some useful list of projects on that an undergraduate student can work.

What is the scope of working on open source?

Thanks in advanced .

Happy Coding!!!

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yeah even i am interested in doing some project. but dont know where to start from. Also if someone can guide on starting to write technical/research papers. Thanks! :slight_smile:

You may like to have a look upon these links :

Good luck!

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If you are interested in learning Python,Django,jQuery,Bootstrap I can offer you participation in a science project. You can learn more information about it here:

I’ve developed it with the help of some people for my phd project. After that I’ve discovered an other way of students’ solutions analysis (if you use it, it takes sufficiently less time to add new tasks to the tutoring system). So now I need to refactor the old version (or maybe build a new one) using this algorithm. After that it’ll be released as an open-source project. If we establish a good work relationship, we can write a paper as co-authors (probably a conference one, because it’s applied research)

I am glad you asked it :slight_smile: Contributing to open source is a great feeling, and I have been fortunate to submit (tiny) patches which were accepted and applied for a couple of projects.

The best place to search for active open source projects is GSOC 2013 accepted organisations. You can enter tags like “c++”, “linux” etc. to filter the organisations matching your skills and interest. You should also look at organizations of past years.

Lets say you got interested in a couple of organisations, then head over to their website and download their product (or you may already be using it :smiley: ). If you like it then only explore further.

Once you have decided a organisation/project to contribute to, follow these steps-

  1. Get the code through repository (ususally SVN or Git)
  2. Setup your IDE to compile and run existing code. If you face trouble you can ask on IRC channel.
  3. Now start making small modifications and see their effect.
  4. Once comfortable with reading and modifying code, go to the bug tracker - it contains existing bugs and feature requests, choose an easy bug/feature and try to remove/implement it. Even better is to work on bug/feature you found yourself.
  5. Once you are sure you have fixed the bug/implemented a feature cleanly (not introduced another bug), submit the patch for review. You need to follow organisations coding guideline for it.
  6. A community member will review your patch and apply it to main repository. Otherwise he/she may notify you why it is rejected. In that case you should address their concern and resubmit the patch for review.

For successful open source contribution, you will have to communicate and contact the developers. Each organisation (even smaller ones) have one or more channel for it-

  1. Mailing list. Subscribe to it.
  2. IRC channel. A great way to talk directly to developers, but don’t nag them.

While doing open source development remember 2 things-

  1. Don’t get disheartened if you find the project too big. Instead search for smaller project.
  2. Don’t get disheartened if your patch is rejected or community member does not reply to you. Maybe your approach is wrong. Or maybe the member is too busy.

Believe me, the open source community is very very helpful and kind with beginners. My experience has been excellent. The guys try their best to get your environment setup. Help you to learn associated technologies like source control.

The sourceforge forum for Help Wanted is also a good place to search for projects.

Enjoy!

14 Likes

I am also interested but doesn’t know anything about it.So help me from where to start.

Thanks @vinayak garg

@upendra1234 Forgot to mention - you can start your own open source project as well, but it is much better to contribute to existing project of your liking.

refer to this ans on quora : http://qr.ae/p3187 It covers almost all the aspects of contributing to open source.
Also, start with sites like openhatch.com to get acquainted with basic concepts.

The best place to start your open source journey is Google Summer of Code.Browse through the list of accepted projects and check on the ones that interest you.After that go to that organization’s home page.Almost all open source organizations have “Get Involved” section.From there you will get proper guidance regarding how you can contribute to that organization.