id like to ask if there is some guideline/advice for asking for open source contributions.

initially i thought i could just have open source code, documentation and communicate about it, but that doesnt seem to work for gaining contributors.

maybe there is something else im overlooking?

contributors would be using their own valuable time and effort so it could just be that my projects are not interesting enough. it might be worth concluding that i should proceed on this solo.

  • starshipwinepineapple@programming.dev
    16·
    1 year ago

    Just some general advice:

    • get regular users. Contributors are going to be a subset of users as another commentor mentioned.
    • make sure to have a CONTRIBUTING.md and that it is clear/ easy to follow. Some projects will link to a separate wiki from the .md which is fine. But make sure your “first time contributor” instructions are easy to follow to set up whatever dev environment needed. The less clear the documentation then the more motivated the contributors will need to be.
    • if you haven’t already, make issues with feature requests that you are wanting to add. Include enough details that someone other than you will understand your requirements.
    • consider a label you use to signify “great issue for a first time contribution”. These should be relatively simple fixes or simple features but give time for someone else to try them instead of completing it right away. Make sure to reference this label in your contribution documentation as a great starting point. If you’re able to get someone to do a simple fix then they will have set up the dev environment and may do other future issues.
    • advertise that you’re looking for contributors. Point out your docs, first time contributor label, and any specific features you want/need help with.
  • Pierre-Yves Lapersonne@programming.dev
    7·
    1 year ago

    Be sure also the issues you have in your project have the suitable labels to help future contributors to pick easily some of them, i.e. labels like “help wanted” or “good first issue”.

    You can also refer to best practices listed and explained for example in Advent of Open Source so as to have a nice and user-friendly repo: https://adventofopensource.com/

    • xoron@programming.devOP
      1·
      1 year ago

      thanks for the tip. youre right i think i need to do more housekeeping there. i dont give it much attention, because as a solo project, id mostly just be doing it to myself with admin stuff.

      i previsously made an attempt for things like issues, but it doesnt seem to have made any different and is just an additional overhead that im ignoring: https://github.com/positive-intentions/chat/issues

      i used to pay more attention to it, but its only my time being wasted if nobody else is interested (thats fine… but it results in the amount of attention i give it. and i have a lot of things to do already when i dont have enough time for it)

      • Kissaki@programming.devEnglish
        4·
        1 year ago

        its a javascript UI framework

        a very satisfied field, with a lot of established mainstream options

        • xoron@programming.devOP
          2·
          1 year ago

          completely understandable conclusion.

          it started off as a curiosity, but i think there is something to it. I’m aiming for something that looks and behaves like react, but without the overhead of the react tooling for transpiling.

          im not trying to take a share of that market, i come across this solution as pf of the chat app project. id like to build up this ui framework well enough to rebuild the chat proct with it… the chat app is made with react and material UI. with this framework, i am aiming to create a more simplified version of the chat app where the “no need to transpile” is a feature for its transparency. perhaps it doesnt make sense right now without the ability to effectively demonstrate it.

          • Kissaki@programming.devEnglish
            1·
            1 year ago

            I think your dim repo first impression could be improved; with a repo description (there is none), and instead of a description that requires pre-knowledge and one huge example, a more general, novice-friendly description and intro listing positives and short intro examples demonstrating distinct functionalities/advantages.