In between steps 0 and 1, hang out on the mailing lists, IRC channels or wherever the devs talk to each other. You can get a feeling for the culture of the comm

In between steps 0 and 1, hang out on the mailing lists, IRC channels or wherever the devs talk to each other. You can get a feeling for the culture of the community, who the most active people are, the best people to ask newbie questions without getting flamed, and so on.