Are you a contributor?

English Open Chat
1

This is a question that is not easily answered.
Not sure how many people that use OpenSuse, contribute in one way or the other.

In my case, i can only contribute little pieces. I wrote a small how to and i added last a printer to the database.
Not big stuff. I am always amazed how much other people know and how little i know.

Anyway, i think that sometimes people are getting scared to even write something that they know, but thinking that they get criticized. Or they just don’t know how to.

Not sure how many people know Smolts. I did it just last time after i stumbled over it.

So i just would like to ask in a very simple way.
Since i am not a programmer or hardware geek and mostly just use it, my expertise is somewhat limited. I am sure i am not the only one. But every small token adds up to something big.

So what do you contribute or would like to contribute. Or maybe you are just shy. :slight_smile:

If you do contribute, maybe just define what it is you contributing.

2

I contribute to openSUSE writing guides in Hellas(Greek) sub forum, giving help, and teaching in group programming and developing.

3

On 05/05/2011 08:36 PM, JoergJaeger wrote:
>
> Question: Do you contribute?
> - I do, as follows…

several ways (no particular order):

-trying to be helping here

-occasionally try to be helpful in a few newgroups

-occasionally try to be helpful in a closed forum

-talking up to friends

-talking up to iFriends

-talking up on facebook

-editing openSUSE wiki (not as much since it was ‘improved’)

-donating money (to several different FOSS related causes)

-buying T-Shirts, etc

-investing in stock connected with linux

-being very humble, shy and bashful

-never pointing out where things might be improved

–
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[openSUSE11.3 + KDE4.5.5 + Firefox3.6.17 + Thunderbird3.1.10 via NNTP]
HACK Everything → http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5b4CCe9pS8&NR=1

4

I contribute helping with skype

I contribute participating in Hellug(Hellenic linux user group)

I contribute sharing DVD and leaflets with openSUSE.

Of Course buying T-shirts.

5

Hi
Lets see…

  1. Help out here in the forums of course :wink:
  2. Packaging on openSUSE Build Service
  3. Some wiki contributions
  4. Working with the openSUSE Gnome developers in packaging and bug fixing
  5. Offer help in usenet, openSUSE mailing lists and IRC when I can.
  6. Is an openSUSE Member ( so get to vote on important issues affecting openSUSE :wink: )
6

Contribute to the forums (as member and mod).

7

I try to be helpful here, and on another forum.

I report bugs that I have run into, particularly if I have additional information that might help the developers to fix the problems for future releases.

8

in former times, as I still was an Ubuntu user, I did translations for the GUI and the help system, from english to german. But then, after moving to the US, time was short and I finally gave it up. Now the time issue is not so critical anymore and I am thinking about doing some translations again. But if I would do it again, then for openSUSE or for KDE.

Speaking of openSUSE, I did some attempts to find out who I can contact for getting an explaination what to do and how to do it. But I did not find a good way… because the wiki is so crouded and maybe because I am too stupid to find it. Anyway, I am still thinking about it and maybe I then contribute directly to the upstream, means KDE.

I also would like to do something about the german openSUSE wiki, but it seems like that there is no movement anymore. The problem is: I am totally useless in programming and stuff like that. But on the other hand I am quite good in translations. And I need someone who guides me to all this - I can not find out what is needed on my own. And I also can not just start something because I want to do things which are useful.

I also donate some money from time to time to the developers of the apps I like and use very often.

9

On 05/06/2011 02:36 AM, steffen13 wrote:
>
>
> Speaking of openSUSE, I did some attempts to find out who I can contact
> for getting an explaination what to do and how to do it. But I did not
> find a good way…

one way would be to directly contact the team you want to work with,
begin here: http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Project

do some reading, and do NOT miss:

http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Teams

http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:How_to_participate

–
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[openSUSE11.3 + KDE4.5.5 + Firefox3.6.17 + Thunderbird3.1.10 via NNTP]
HACK Everything → http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5b4CCe9pS8&NR=1

10

Here’s what I do, I:

  • help out, am a global moderator in the forums
  • set up the dutch language subforums
  • write in openSUSE Weekly News, Forums Section
  • test software
  • helped out on the first dutch openSUSE Launch party
  • promote openSUSE whereever I can, the promodvds do a lot of good here
  • use openSUSE !!!
11

I punish kids in IRC.

12

I take problems lighthearted since they can all be solved eventually and make up stories. Like this one. :wink:

13

I try not to post indiscriminately just to increase my post count. I don’t always succeed… (like now)

14

On 05/07/2011 03:36 AM, brunomcl wrote:
>
> I try not to post indiscriminately just to increase my post count. I
> don’t always succeed… (like now)
>
>

me too! :wink:

–
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[openSUSE11.3 + KDE4.5.5 + Firefox3.6.17 + Thunderbird3.1.10 via NNTP]
HACK Everything → http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5b4CCe9pS8&NR=1

15

I do a bit here and there

16

I don’t do nothing useful besides:

  • Maintaining a few optional packages for GNOME;
  • I got commit rights on Banshee (yeah, scream in terror) and will help Gabriel making Banshee for openSUSE a thrilling experience;
  • I gave a talk in last openSUSE Conference (Nürnberg, Germany);
  • I annoyed a lot of people (which I love to drive them over the edges);^
  • I runned for the openSUSE Board in last elections with a nice 5% of the votes;
  • I started and run the Portuguese Forum (with very low traffic, but it exists, which is the important thing);
  • Plus all the rest I often forget…
17

I’d like to think I’ve made a small (Tiny?) contribution, in some way, in the short time I’ve been using openSUSE…

18

I think people believe that many of us have bionic implants on the brain running a tweaked kernel and all of that sort of weird ‘geekish’ stuff… Luckily it’s just that, a ‘urban myth’. I’m going to be honest with you, as a student or for professionals reasons, I have better options with proprietary software. The only thing that really makes me hanging around is the community, at least for me that’s one of the most valuable things on openSUSE.

About contributions… I like people who want to contribute for the project… One quick example… I see you are native english speaker, which is always nice! There is one thing that Marketing and Booster team are trying to relaunch, called: “The faces of openSUSE”. This are a set of interviews/articles about people who make openSUSE happen. Do you want to make a nice contribution and make an interview and an article about a project/piece of software you like? I’m sure we can work out the contacts for it :slight_smile:

Let me know… and yeah, those kind of contributions are considered for ‘membership’ purposes, this means that if you are member, you can vote for openSUSE Board and for other things related to the future of openSUSE… This is just a quick example on how everyone can contribute to openSUSE, even without technical skills… And trust me, this contributions are very valuable for a Project like ours.

I hope you like your openSUSE experience and I hope you stay around for a fun experience :slight_smile:

19

I’m actively helping people on the forums regularly… Just started as an openSUSE ambassador and will hopefully be able to contribute more through that route… Other than that pretty much your average user :slight_smile:

20

no i don’t

but i do start a discussion war upon micro$oft server and web development products from time to time …