"picky about contributions" doesn't mean unfriendly to newbies. For instance, with Firefox, you need to be able to build the project, open bugs, use diff/patch,

"picky about contributions" doesn't mean unfriendly to newbies. For instance, with Firefox, you need to be able to build the project, open bugs, use diff/patch, and that's about it. You open a bug or pick up someone's open bug for an issue you care about. You attach a patch to the bug, possibly discussing it in IRC or on a mailing list. When you think the patch is ready, you ask for a review. The review is a picky but not unfriendly process. That will help you get your patch up to the project's standards. Then you get a super-review. And your patch gets in once that passes. Newbies can and do meet the standards for contributing, and it's not painful IME.