The internet is filled with open-source projects for you to contribute to. We’re sure you’ve seen some before. Start-ups, individual developers, and all types of others may have already invited you to take a look at their GitHub pages, to see if you would participate in their project.
Many people do not like contributing to open-source projects, as it requires quite a bit of time and effort and doesn’t offer much (if any) financial rewards. While that may be true, there are many other benefits that you can leverage from partaking in an open-source project. You’ll gain experience, meet people, and much more!
In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about contributing to open-source projects. Then we’ll show you why Dolibarr is the best project for you to contribute to!
What Are Open-Source Projects?
For those who don’t know what an open-source project is, we’ll define it here. When a project is open-source, it means that anybody can use it, change it, better it, and share it. There is no cost to do any of these things on an open-source project, it is totally free of charge. People are granted permission to the software through an open-source license.
What Makes Open-Source Great?
Essentially, open-source software is breaking down the barriers on complex projects. It allows for increased collaboration meaning that a piece of software can be made much better, in a shorter period of time.
In addition, for those who use the software, it allows them to do what they want with it and have complete control. If you use closed software, it essentially means that your organization is bound by the pre-defined parameters of the software. Often, this restricts your choices.
Why Do People Create Open-Source Projects?
There are a few simple reasons that people develop open-source software, and it is closely connected to the reason the software is great (as we explained above). Here are some reasons:
More Minds - Open-source projects allow people all around the world to contribute. This means that there is more knowledge, and the software can only get better!
Increased Adoption - Making a project open-source means that you are more likely to increase your user base. It also means that people will use it for things other than what it was originally built for since they can customize it. This type of expansion is exactly what developers want.
Transparency - Users of open-source projects can know everything they need to, and owners of the project can rest assured knowing that it’s clear they have nothing to hide! This level of transparency also ensures that no inconsistencies exist within the project.
6 Benefits Of Contributing To Open-Source Projects
1. Reputation
Contributing to an open-source project can do a lot for your professional development and reputation. People will have access to the work you’ve done, and you will have a lot to show. Furthermore, those who work on the project with you will remember you. These connections will come in handy in the future when you need somebody to be a reference for you, or when you need to find a new job elsewhere.
2. Experience
If you are an up-and-coming developer, it might be hard to find a place to gain experience. And, you need the experience to land a good job at a good company. These days, even entry-level positions and internships require some sort of proven experience in the field.
Open-source projects can be the best option to solve this problem. By participating in a project like this, you can gain exposure to the tech industry, and get a hang of some of the activities that you might do at a company when you are hired.
3. Opportunities
You can broaden your horizons by participating in an open-source project. When employers see that you have contributed to open-source projects, your job prospects increase. The employers can check out your code to see the type of work you do. This is much more convincing to a recruiter than a simple CV or cover letter.
4. Skills
You can improve your coding and technology skills by contributing to these projects. Not only do you get to see if your personal methods and ideas work, but you get to look at the way other people code.
This means that you get real-life practice on real projects, which is much more valuable than you think. Not everyone gets to do that! It also means that you get exposed to all sorts of new ways of thinking about your skills. This can improve your skills exponentially. And, if that wasn’t enough to convince you, you also could get feedback from people who are more experienced. This means you will know where you need to improve in the future.
5. Fun
For those who are passionate about developing, contributing to one of these projects can be a lot of fun! It presents you with a new challenge and allows you to do what you love!
6. Plan
Contributing to open-source projects also gives you an idea of what type of work you like and what you don’t like. As such, you can plan for your future accordingly. You’ll know exactly what types of jobs to apply to, and what you should stay away from based on real-life experience.
For many, knowing what they want for themselves is difficult, we all know it’s tough to choose your path! Not many people get the chance to test the waters, and open-source projects allow you to do just that.
Contributing To Dolibarr
Who Is Dolibarr?
Dolibarr is an organization that has developed a world-class ERP and CRM for companies, foundations, and freelancers to use. It is an open-source project that only includes the features that you want or need. You can add and remove features as you please.
Why Choose Dolibarr?
There are so many open-source projects to choose from! Why would you choose Dolibarr? Well, there are many reasons!
First, since the organization and its software are well known, you’ll have something substantial to put on your resume. When future employers see that you have contributed to such an acclaimed project, they will be utterly impressed. Their perception of you and your capabilities will exponentially increase.
What’s more, is that you’ll gain a lot of experience and improve your skills a lot. Since we already have great developers and other skilled people on our team, you will have the chance to see what they do (though their work online) and you’ll gain insights into best practices in the industry.
In addition, Dolibarr is software that is available for free, to anyone who wants it. This means that Dolibarr helps growing businesses to ensure that their operations are running smoothly, for free! We make software that would usually be expensive, very affordable! Why wouldn’t you want to contribute to an organization or project like that!
Who Can Contribute To Dolibarr?
Since Dolibarr creates software, you probably think that only software developers can contribute to this project, right? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong! There are lots of different things that you can do to help out at Dolibarr. Find out what your options for participating are below:
Developers
If you are a software developer then you can, of course, contribute.
At Dolibarr there are already a few developers. We allocate grades to developers so that we can control the contributions and changes that happen to the project. The write access on the source (GIT) is limited to people, based on their grade. Those with a higher grade get a higher level of authorization.
As a member of the team, you could do one of many tasks. For instance, you may help out with bug fixes, assist with pull requests, and much more! To find out more about becoming a developer for Dolibarr, check out the developer FAQ and our GitHub page.
Translators
As you may know, at Dolibarr, we want to make our product as accessible as possible. We’ve already made it free, so there are no financial barriers to using it! Our next step is getting it translated into as many different languages as possible.
If you speak a language other than English, then you qualify to help out with this! All you need to do is register on transifex.com, and you’ll be good to go!
Transifex is a web application that allows us to translate our project into different languages. It comes with various features and is very easy to use! Our project has already been translated into several different languages, but there is always more translating to be done! If you’d like to find out more about participating in this part of our project, then have a look at our translator documentation.
Local Communities
If the above doesn’t interest you, then you can always run one of our local groups or communities.
There are a few things that you will need to do before you start, and you will have to accept all of the rules too.
For example, you first need to ensure that a Dolibarr community does not already exist in your area. If there is already one in existence, then you should rather join the group. You also have to be a group of people who are familiar with open-source software, and have a good grasp of the English language so that you can communicate with the international foundation.
Once you read the rules and regulations about creating a Dolibarr community, make sure you fully understand them and are happy to accept the rules. Thereafter, you can create your community online!
Other Options
There are some other ways that you can help Dolibarr out too! For example, you can donate to the project by becoming a member of the Dolibarr foundation. By subscribing as a member you get a 20% discount on paid modules found on the DoliStore, and you allow the developers to continue building this amazing software!
You could also assist with completing user documentation, or you could give Dolibarr good ratings on various websites including appvizer.fr, Capterra, or SourceForce, for example.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many ways to contribute to the Dolibarr project, and to open-source projects in general! You have options from participating as a developer to creating communities, and much more in between. This is not even an extensive list of all the things you could possibly do.
Remember that contributing to open-source projects is beneficial not only to the project and its owners but to you too! You gain knowledge, expertise, experience, and even get something great to put on your resume. So don’t miss out, start contributing to the Dolibarr project today!