This article is an experimental collaboration with multiple authors sharing their diverse perspectives on open source. Contributions were made by Djangonauts and community members.
Let’s dive right in!
What do you think is open source?
When I first heard of open source, I had this strange picture in my head of a group of really intelligent people, working alone in solitude, and in the rare event, sharing a thought or two with the community - like Arthur and the Knights of the Round table.
Now I see open source as an incredible group of welcoming and helpful people, happy to give you a hand when you ask for help. They do not see newcomers as intruders, but as a catalyst for change and improvements, and a foundation on which the community will rest. Am I being too romantic? I like to dream :)
Offline, in everyday life, it’s easy for divergent views to form, and it takes much longer for ideologies to travel. With open source communities on the other hand, with some sincere desire to be understanding, I think we can go on to create great things together, irrespective of who we are.
~ Raffaella, Star
Open source means different things to different people, but it is definitely more than just code. It is also about the extraordinary individuals behind the codebase, working together to develop software collaboratively.
Why do you think it's important (open source)? Or maybe, why is it not?
I don’t know much about what happens in closed software development, but I think open source is important because it fosters creativity. The confluence of ideas, personalities, and vision, can’t be matched in a gated community.
Arguably, some of the most important projects in the world are open-source: the Linux kernel and git (then again, I might be a bit biased).
~ Abdulwasiu, Djangonaut
Open source is an ever-evolving narrative, and despite its detractors, the prevailing opinion is that the world stands to gain far more from open source than without it. Djangonaut Space aims to provide an accessible on-ramp to contributing to the Django ecosystem. Here’s how that might look to a new contributor:
Is Djangonaut Space open source? (Maybe it's more than just open source)
My journey as a Djangonaut began with a desire to upgrade my skills. This was my first time joining a technical community, so I didn’t really know what to expect.
Participating in the program, I discovered the joy of being part of a community - connecting with wonderful people who share the same desire to enrich the Django community, and open source in general.
I discovered many different ways to enjoy my journey in the Djangonaut Space program:
- Sessions and Talks from distinguished speakers and seasoned contributors.
- Writing the 'Updates to Django' section of the Django Newsletter (my first issue)
- Writing my first blog post
- Organizing a bi-monthly meeting in the Djangonaut Space Discord server
With encouragement from the community, I was also able to attend DjangoCon Europe 2024 in Vigo, my first DjangoCon, and give my first lighting talk! With the same momentum, I gave my first ever talk at Django Day Copenhagen 2024. These experiences were better than I could have ever imagined.
I can't wait to attend the next DjangoCon. See you there 🚀
~ Raffaella, Star
Even with lots of support, contributing to open source projects can be scary because it's public. But that's just part of the process.
What was your biggest fear when making a contribution to "open source"?
One of my earliest fears when making a documentation contribution was that I wanted the contribution I added to come across as "American"—to sound like a native English writer. I worried excessively about it. I soon realized that wasn't necessarily a realistic goal, and the most important thing is comprehension and usability. Can someone else benefit from this new bit of information?
Another fear, which still surfaces occasionally, is dealing with such a large codebase. Would it be possible to understand everything? So many branches, tags, and workflows—what exactly am I looking at? Should I be looking at it?
I try to spend more time on relatively easy issues because it's easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole on anything non-trivial.
It takes time to become familiar with any codebase, and after contributing to Django, I'm gradually becoming comfortable with this.
~ Abdulwasiu, Djangonaut
We never tire of tips to stay motivated, because we get demotivated quite easily. What are your tips?
Dealing with fears, exhaustion, and the inevitable wait times that come with working asynchronously, it's important to keep your eyes on the ball. How do you stay motivated?
Find your why. From Simon Sinek, who quite literally wrote the book Finding your WHY, finding your reason or purpose for contributing to open source is important to remain motivated. For me, it was:
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- a sense of giving back to a community that I take so much from, and
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- a chance to grow my skills outside of my work.
Find your people. Finding people with similar motivations can also help with staying motivated and encouraged. They’re the ones who can keep you motivated and help you when you lose your spirit. Because let’s face it, it does happen.
Make work comfortable. Sometimes work (and other tasks) can be boring and unenjoyable. Automating the boring bits, sitting down to work in a comfortable environment or finding the best times to do boring tasks can help motivation. Sometimes even a change in environment or a deadline can be encouraging.
~ Anthony Joseph, Djangonaut
Awesome communities can make a world of difference when doing anything. Coupled with the opportunity to give back and help others, there's immense potential for motivation.
It's halfway through the program—how are you feeling about your journey so far?
As Djangonaut Space Session 3 nears its conclusion, it's intriguing to reflect on the experience of contributing to open source within a supportive and enabling environment. Here’s a thought:
I am feeling pumped and re-energized. I’ll stick around the Django ecosystem for a while. There is a growth path.
~ Abdulwasiu, Djangonaut