Giving Back

[Mizutsuki]

I've used Ubuntu basically since it first came out, and I've used it heavily/primarily since 5.10. I'm somewhat enamoured of the entire idea of Ubuntu, and of F/OSS in general. But sometimes I feel like I'm not really a part of it all in the same way as, say, a kernel developer is. In short, I wish I had some way to give back.
So, I'll donate a couple of bucks when I can, but I'm 22 years old, and I the idea of buying indulgences from the community doesn't appeal to me. I went to school twice for comp si, but I failed out both times. ~_~ I've spent the last two years working in java, specifically with jsp/servlets, but that's not really my first interest (I'm just explaining my experience.) I wanted to know if there's any part of the os that could use such an unskilled technician. My favourite parts are media, especially mplayer/mencoder, but I'm down to work on pretty much whatever I can handle.

What do you all recommend I look in to?
Thanks!

[ssam]

Have a look at
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ContributeToUbuntu

If you are technically minded, but not a 'good programmer' then you could probably help out the bug squad. This involves figuring out which packages bugs belong to, try to replicate them, searching for duplicates, searching upstream bug trackers for similar issues etc. you dont need to be able to fix the bugs, just organise stuff so that the developers can see what they need to do. If you are familiar with debugging tools that is a bonus.

there are always friendly people on IRC to help you out.

[sydbat]

By the sounds of it, you enjoy using many different applications...perhaps being an Alpha tester for various apps, then reporting what works, your likes/dislikes, etc, in layman's terms (with a bit of techie in there too) could be one way of contributing/giving back. Who knows, maybe even some of your Java experience can help with those Alpha's that need a bit of programming...??

And there's always documentation...again, going through existing docs and adding ordinary English explanations to things somewhat too techie for "Joe Average" (things you understand that others might not, for example).

There's lots of ways to give back. You will find what works for you best and helps the community most.

[Daveski]

Just trying to help others out with questions in these forums would be of great use. It sounds like you have an awful lot of Ubuntu under your belt.

[Mizutsuki]

Have a look at
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ContributeToUbuntu

If you are technically minded, but not a 'good programmer' then you could probably help out the bug squad. This involves figuring out which packages bugs belong to, try to replicate them, searching for duplicates, searching upstream bug trackers for similar issues etc. you dont need to be able to fix the bugs, just organise stuff so that the developers can see what they need to do. If you are familiar with debugging tools that is a bonus.

there are always friendly people on IRC to help you out.
QA sounds fun, but I'd really intimidated by launchpad, and I don't any idea where to start.


By the sounds of it, you enjoy using many different applications...perhaps being an Alpha tester for various apps, then reporting what works, your likes/dislikes, etc, in layman's terms (with a bit of techie in there too) could be one way of contributing/giving back. Who knows, maybe even some of your Java experience can help with those Alpha's that need a bit of programming...??

And there's always documentation...again, going through existing docs and adding ordinary English explanations to things somewhat too techie for "Joe Average" (things you understand that others might not, for example).

There's lots of ways to give back. You will find what works for you best and helps the community most.
Again, sounds great but there's just so much to do, I haven't a clue where to start.


Just trying to help others out with questions in these forums would be of great use. It sounds like you have an awful lot of Ubuntu under your belt.
That's something I thought of only after I posted the message. Keeping tabs on the forums is something I can certainly do, but in the past when I've looked at other people's questions I've never felt qualified to answer. I guess I'll just look for the really desperate people and give what resources I have.


Y'know, I've been thinking about this since I posted the question, and something occurred to me:
There should really be some way some some of the more senior volunteer developers (not the ones with the jobs that pay them to develop, but the kind of developer who does it on nights and weekend) to couch new developers. I was thinking like a Google Summer of Code thing, but shorter term and without the money.
Example: Let's say an open source project had such a program, and I got on a list somewhere. Eventually, a senior developer on the project would look through the list and grab me when he/she needed something menial done. When I have questions I could ask the senior developer directly, and he/she could point me in the right direction. We could do 2-4 entry level tasks as a "getting your feet wet" sort of exercise, and then I would feel more comfortable grabbing tasks on my own, and the project coordinators would know what I was best capable of.
This system could work somewhat the same for QA and documentation.
Does such a program exist?