The best open-source projects are the smaller ones, IMO, which are usually the efforts of a few developers who welcome outside help. I've contributed to large-

The best open-source projects are the smaller ones, IMO, which are usually the efforts of a few developers who welcome outside help. I've contributed to large-ish projects like Symfony2 with high standards, but the community was still encouraging. Point being, I think the overall community and age of the project are the best indicators for determining how hostile contributing would be.