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It's not hard to find an open-source project that needs help. I don't really see the need for a centralized board for posting help requests. When it's already s
by vibrunazo 15y ago
It's not hard to find an open-source project that needs help. I don't really see the need for a centralized board for posting help requests. When it's already so easy to find them. Just pick your favorite open source app and help them out.
Unless I'm misunderstanding what the article means with "serious work".
- azov 15y ago"It's not hard" is not good enough. There are many capable coders that don't even know where to start. "Pick your favorite open-source app"? Not everyone has a favorite open-source app. Not all apps worth helping are open-source. With thousands of projects to pick from it's easy to get overwhelmed. "And help them out"? What kind of help do they need? Am I capable of helping them? Will it be interesting for me? Who do I talk to and what should I say? How do I submit my changes? How do I make sure my help is in line with their vision? Tons of questions. Yes, a smart person should be able to figure all this out, but there's a lot of friction involved - especially for something that you do for free in your spare time. There definitely is room for improving the process. It shouldn't be "not that hard", it should be be dead simple.
- willvarfar 15y agoIndeed I didn't mean open-source in general; I meant programming problems that researchers and charities have.