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6 articles to get you excited about programming Jim Hall Sun, 01/01/2023 - 03:00

Programming is at the heart of open source software. Learning programming is a great way to explore new ideas and create programs that are useful for you. This year, Opensource.com authors shared many excellent articles about programming, from how new programmers can get started, to how experts can learn more about the details. Here are six articles to get you excited about programming:

Write documentation like you develop code

For many programmers, writing documentation is almost an afterthought. We've written the code, but writing the documentation is a whole new challenge. Lorna Mitchell shares several tips to help you change your approach to writing documentation. If you focus on writing documentation like you would write code, you'll have an easier time. Think about text formats, source control, pull requests, review cycles, and continuous integration and deployment.

Guide to GCC

You write the code, click a button in your development environment to build it, and you're done. But there's a lot more happening behind the scenes. Jayashree Huttanagoudar wrote an excellent explanation of what it takes for the compiler to produce a binary file. The article walks through the steps to turn source code into an executable program using the GNU C Compiler, including pre-processing, compiling, assembling, and linking.

If you like that article and want to learn more about the internals of how programs get built, you should also read Jayashree's follow-up article about How dynamic linking for modular libraries works on Linux.

Parsing data with strtok in C

Some programs can process an entire file at once, but other programs need to examine the file line-by-line. In the latter case, you likely need to parse data in each line. Fortunately, the C programming language has a standard C library function to do just that. I write about how to use the strtok function in C to parse data out of strings. Use it in your next project to simplify how you read data into your program.

Learn Perl

Perl is a powerful programming language. Sometimes considered merely a scripting system, Perl also provides object oriented programming. It also comes backed by thousands of libraries and frameworks to help you build more complex applications. Seth Kenlon and Dave Morriss shared an overview to help you get started, and created a cheat sheet that serves as a handy programmer's reference.

Programming and development Red Hat Developers Blog Programming cheat sheets Try for free: Red Hat Learning Subscription eBook: An introduction to programming with Bash Bash shell scripting cheat sheet eBook: Modernizing Enterprise Java An open source developer's guide to building applications Practical advice for new programmers

If you're getting started in learning how to write your own programs, Sachin Samal wrote an excellent article to help you get started. Don't be afraid to experiment with new ideas and to keep practicing by writing new programs. Being an efficient and curious problem-solver will help you succeed as a programmer.

10 universal steps for open source code review

Working in open source software projects means working with other developers from around the world. Open source work isn't all programming. Developers also review code from other contributors. Martin Kopec wrote about his perspective in how to perform a code review. He also includes a few useful tips about what to look for, and questions to ask yourself when doing the review.

Write code

Programming is hard work, but it's also a lot of fun. Read up on a new library, a new language, or a new technique, and then go and put it into practice. And of course, make it open source!

Whether you're just learning, returning from some time away, or a long-time expert, it's time to write some code.

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12 resources for open source community management in 2023 AmyJune Sat, 12/31/2022 - 03:00

Open source projects thrive because of their communities. It makes sense that community management is a big topic on Opensource.com. This year, we had several good articles looking at different aspects of communities and how they’re started, protected, and nurtured.

Why program management matters in open source

In this article by Ben Cotton, he reminds you that as community projects grow and become more complex with multiple product owners and contributors, so does the need for a program manager. Open communication about deliverables, expectations, and road maps is important to help keep the goal and intentions focused. There are always spaces for collaboration and discussion, and the program manager can help the community avoid surprises.

Create a more diverse and equitable open source project with open standards

In Paloma Oliveira's article, you are reminded that using the concept of open standards in projects will lead to better communication. Open standards help build communication between the creators and the end users. They can also serve as an accessible entry point for new contributors. The use of clear communication helps folks feel welcome, want to start contributing, and can attract more diverse contributors to your project.

Build an open source project using this essential advice

Bolaji Ayodeji's article outlines the lifecycle of an open source project and provides tips on how to structure the project for sustainability. A project can be broken into two main parts: people and their roles and documents to help set collaboration standards. The article concludes with Ayodeji's 13 phases of an open source project and how you can use the list as a starting point for creating your project.

Attract contributors to your open source project with authenticity

There are plenty of great open source projects, but how do you make people aware of your project and attract contributors? Rizel Scarlett's article outlines seven avenues to promote a project without feeling "marketing-y." There is also advice about ensuring the project is easy to find, use, and contribute to. Even if the project lacks momentum, remember to keep contributing because people are drawn to an active project.

Put Design Thinking into practice with the Open Practice Library

This article is a collaborative piece by Leigh Griffin, Stefan Mattejiet, and Aoife Moloney. It's the first in a series of articles that introduces the concept of Design Thinking and how you can achieve it through the Open Practice Library (OPL), a resource for open source practitioners. All humans learn in different ways. Design Thinking breaks down different learning styles and ensures that people's needs are met. It also demonstrates that they can be successful in a team.

Build community engagement by serving up Lean Coffee

This article by 2022 Aaron Winborn Award Winner Angie Byron outlines how folks can incorporate Lean Coffee into their organizations. This allows for more collaborative meetings through remote team building and asynchronous topic discussion. Lean Coffee allows co-workers or collaborators to get to know each other, engage, find common interests, and ultimately learn from each other.

5 levels of transparency for open source communities

This article by Georg Link, Anirudha Jadhav, and Emilio Galeano Gryciuk visits why you need transparency in open source communities. When maintainers, collaborators, and end users trust one another, it creates a space where people can message and have discussions in the open. Transparency helps avoid friction, allows metrics to be exchanged for product owner buy-in, and encourages trust when people know what exact metrics are shared.

A guide to productivity management in open source projects

Thabang Mashologu's article stresses the importance of openness, transparency, and putting them into practice. Thabang encourages collaboration and productivity on open source teams through the SPACE model: satisfaction and well-being, performance, activity, communication and collaboration, and efficiency and flow.

Balancing transparency as an open source community manager

This article uses a gardening metaphor to help explain open source cultivation. Rich Bowen says that a community manager is much like a community gardener. Sometimes community managers have upstream and insider information that cannot be disclosed to other contributors. But helping keep the "garden" tended, watered, and free of weeds can help cultivate a trusting community.

How we track the community health of our open source project

The use of CRM Savannah has helped some communities track different aspects of community metrics. Ruth Cheesley's article explains how the CRM allows the Mautic community to collect and store information in a central place. Not only can the CRM track where the contributions are happening, but it also tracks community contributions over time. Unlike many tools using Savannah, the Mautic community can highlight the folks who empower others before they contribute. This practice often encourages novices to make contributions in the future.

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In this collaborative piece by Shaun McCance, Neofytos Kolokotronis, Georg Link, Sri Ramkrishna, and Nuritzi Sanchez, you learn that while you can have successful events, it's essential to understand what makes an event successful. Several goals are identified so quantifiable metrics can be measured. There are four goals: Retain and attract contributors, have engaging events, understand company contributions, and address diversity and skill gaps.

How to make community recognition more inclusive

This article by Ray Paik is a good reminder of how you should look beyond metrics when giving recognition in communities. Metrics are great for code contributions and providing numbers for the product owner's buy-in. But they often leave out meaningful contributions beyond code (documentation, design, ideation, and so on), which can leave contributors feeling left behind. When communities make recognition more meaningful and impactful, it helps build community trust, leading to more community engagement.

Open communities

Open source is a community project. It never happens in a vacuum, and it grows because of the communities that form around it. Whether you interact with open source as a user, contributor or both, you're part of a community, and the community is better for it.

Seasoned open source community managers share their advice on how communities are started, protected, and nurtured.

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