Ruby for All

How to Open Source with Richard Schneeman

Nov 24, 2022

Experienced software developer Richard Schneeman talks about contributing to Rails, creating CodeTriage, and the challenges of open sourcing. Discussion includes starting small in open source, mentorship, and the importance of genuine contributions in projects like Hacktoberfest.

28:53

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Episode guests

Richard Schneeman

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Starting small and gradually familiarizing oneself with the codebase is crucial for successful open source contributions.

Consistent, daily small contributions can pave the way to eventual commit access on major open source projects like Ruby on Rails.

Open source contributions go beyond coding; understanding the codebase, taking notes, and seeking feedback are essential for effective participation.

Deep dives

Richard's Journey from Ruby Enthusiast to Open Source Contributor

Richard shares his experiences starting from his interest in contributing to Ruby on Rails to developing Code Triage, a tool to facilitate open source repo commits. He discusses his book 'How to Open Source' and his recent commit to Ruby 3.2. Richard emphasizes his passion for improving Ruby's developer experience by introducing a library that suggests syntax errors in code.

Introduction

2min

Overcoming Hesitations and Embracing Mentorship in Open Source

18min

Navigating Open Source Prerequisites and Contribution Readiness

4min

Navigating Open Source Contributions and Hacktoberfest Rules

4min

Engaging in Open Source and Setting Small Goals

2min

Timestamps

[0:40] Andrew just finished giving his BridgetownConf 2022 talk

[0:55] Richard introduces himself and talks about a feature he added that will be coming out in Ruby 3.2

[2:20] Andrew asks Julie if she was ever obsessed like him about getting a commit into Rails, which launches into a discussion with Richard about contributing to Rails and how he paired with Aaron Patterson.

[5:20] Richard shares how he got started contributing to Rails on a regular basis, which led to creation of CodeTriage.\

[9:00] Andrew shares how he began contributing to open source through baby steps by replying to issues in some of the libraries and tools he used.

[9:53] Julie mentions that getting to know the types of issues that come into projects you want to contribute to can be a big help and Richard adds some more reasons why this is very helpful for new contributors.

[11:30] Richard explains how to make micro contributions like hearting an issue or commenting on them.

[12:50] Richard discusses how contributing to open source is harder than most people make it seem to juniors, which led to why he wrote How to Open Source.

[14:30] Julie discusses her first open source contribution with Ruby for Good and how we often forget the complexity of things we do every day for newcomers. She also recommends letting the maintainer know if the instructions for setting up the project are missing or incorrect.

[17:24] Richard recommends having folks take notes of their own experience and how experienced devs sidestep issues instead of providing feedback to the maintainer.

[19:23] Andrew asks what the prerequisites are for folks interested in How to Open Source.

[22:30] Richard talks about showing up early to projects and it generates some discussion around making sure that you are making valuable contributions, respecting the the maintainers time, and Hacktoberfest.

[27:22] Andrew asks Richard about 24 Pull Requests and where folks can follow him online.

Links

Andrew's BridgetownConf Talk

CodeTriage

How to Open Source: Learn the secrets of successful contributors