Thoughts from a New Contributor

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LearningFlow - A workflow for new and developing contributors
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Want to be a new contributor?
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Begin by checking your readiness
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* You don't have to have mastery in all of these areas to begin contributing.
* Focus on areas where you have learning to do, use the available resources.
* Ask quality questions

Developer support tools
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 - command line for chosen operating system
 - editor
 - IRC
 - mailing lists
 - version control (any flavor)
 - issue tracker

Open Source Development project flow
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- New development
- Sustaining development
- Continuous process improvement

Contributor Mindset
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- Dedication to learning
- Flexibility
- Patience
- Commitment to community code of conduct (open, considerate, respectful)

Community responsibility to learner
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- Documentation on resources available in the Python community (i.e. OpenHatch,
  User Groups, pyvideo, books, docs, etc.)
- Considerate and respectful communication (on IRC and mailing lists)


Ready to submit a first contribution?
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Although your expectation may be a first contribution is as simple as picking
an easy issue, writing and submitting a patch, it's rarely that simple.
Instead, there's a different set of readiness criteria for submitting a patch.

Developer Support Tools
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- Issue Tracker (Python specific)
- IRC (knowledge of which Python channels are best for different topics)
- Mailing Lists (which Python lists are helpful to follow or read archives)
- editor (set up your editor for Python code style)
- version control (learn mercurial basics - checkout, commit, diff)
- command line (compilation, patch creation)

CPython development project flow
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- Python dev guide https://docs.python.org/devguide/#contributing
- Python dev faq

Contributor mindset
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- Willingness to attempt to use the existing available resources
- Beginning learning layout of code base
- Ask thoughtful questions
- Respect other's time
- Patience while learning (norms for response by core developers to questions)

Community responsibility
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- Documentation on resources available in the Python community (i.e. OpenHatch,
  User Groups, pyvideo, books, docs, etc.)
- Mentoring GSOC and OPW interns
- Considerate and respectful communication (on IRC and mailing lists)
- Show appreciation for contribution and the contributor's effort


Gathering experience and making further contributions
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* Gain proficiency in above areas
* Continue to focus on areas that you find rewarding and be a productive
  contributor
* Share knowledge with others in community

Developer Support Tools
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- Refine configuration of tools to increase productivity and consistency in
  personal workflow


CPython development project flow
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- Begin building working relationships with other contributors
- Learn different aspects of the project (triage, development, documentation,
  and testing)

Contributor mindset
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- Willingness to attempt to use the existing available resources
- Start developing a working knowledge of the code base beyond your expertise
- Ask thoughtful questions and answer others thoughtfully
- Respect others' time
- Patience while learning (guidelines for norms for response to questions)
- Self check and self care during times of increased stress (i.e. releases)

Community responsibility to learner
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- Answer others thoughtfully
- Respect others' time
- Self check and self care during times of increased stress (i.e. releases)


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My personal experience making a first contribution
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Months of increased knowledge of the community
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OpenHatch
PyLadies
Python User Group
IRC logs
PyCon Program Committee
Poster submission to PyCon
Encouragement by individuals in the community

Started considering making a contribution
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While helping encourage applicants to the
OPW and GSOC programs on the PyLadies IRC
channel, I helped guide contributors
to OpenHatch documentation, core development docs,
to friendly helpful developers (bitdancer, jesstess,
and others)

In the weeks leading up to PyCon, I began really
digging into the code development guide to try to
understand the project workflow and development process.

I also used Pycharm to be able to view the source code and its
structure. I write code using vim, but found Pycharm easier to
get a big picture view of the code base.

At PyCon
--------
Met a number of people while at the sprints as I sprinted on
OpenHatch. These informal interactions over lunch or in the hallway
helped me see some core developers as accessible and willing to
collaborate.

After PyCon
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Lots of reading
- Porting from 2 to 3 book that was given out at PyCon
- Dev guide - several times
- Dev FAQ
- core-mentorship mailing list archives

Committed to finding a way to use the issue tracker to find a suitable issue
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The issue tracker was the largest hurdle to making a contribution.
Its cumbersome user interface combined with the difficulty of easily
identifying issues that could benefit from my time and effort.

I found it difficult to identify:
* issues that a non-core developer could triage in some meaningful way
* open documentation issues that were not already claimed by others
* a way to easily tag issues to return to as promising possibilities

In general, these factors made the issue tracker unappealing and an inefficient
use of my time. Ultimately, I found the documentation issue that I created a
patch for on another mailing list and then I looked it up on the issue tracker.

- the search interface is clunky
- the number of languishing or non-starter issues that waste a potential
contributors time and add to overwhelm or frustration with the process
(just as core developers, contributors value their time and are trying
to help)
- no easy way to tag all issues that might be suitable for the individual
as the individual goes through them

A quiet first contribution
--------------------------
After finding the issue, the patch and submission process was very simple.
I followed the instructions in the core dev guide.

I would be happy to continue contributing. That said, there are other
valuable projects out there that are easier to find an issue to work on
and be productive with my time.

I enjoy Python as a language. It's elegant and fun to use (configuration and
setup issues aside).


Some gems of wisdom and insights from the core-mentorship logs
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bitdancer's experience as a new contributor

A new section at the top of the devguide FAQ that covers
questions of the form "I want to ask about X, what's the best forum?"
would be a nice idea. I created http://bugs.python.org/issue11690 to
track that.

I also created http://psf.upfronthosting.co.za/roundup/meta/issue383
to ask for a "Devguide" component on the tracker.

Suggestions (please substitute good english):

* We ask everyone to be welcoming, friendly, and patient.
* Anything can be asked, and "RTFM" is not an acceptable answer.
* Neither is "it's in the archives, go read them".
* List archives are closed, but subscription is open to everyone.
* Statements made by core developers can be quoted outside.
* We endorse the PSF's [Diversity statement] (link).
* Violators will be towed at their own expense.