Guides

Developer Guide

As a Developer at Open Sourcery, you'll take part in a project team to build real software, contribute to open-source work, and grow your skills alongside other UMD students. This guide covers everything from joining your first project to how your team tracks and communicates work.

Getting Started: Joining a Project

  1. 1Register on this website. We'll send you an invite to the Open Sourcery GitHub organization.
  2. 2Join a project. Navigate to Join a Project, choose one you find interesting, and join it.

Once you've been added to a project:

  • Run git clone <repo_url>.git in your terminal to clone the project onto your system.
  • Your Lead Developer will set up a GitHub Project (your team's Kanban board and sprint tracker, and where you'll find your assigned issues).

Working on Your Project

Your GitHub Project Board

Your team's board tracks work through columns like:

  1. 1. BacklogHasn't been started
  2. 2. ReadyReady to be picked up
  3. 3. In ProgressActively being worked on
  4. 4. In ReviewIn review
  5. 5. Done

Working on Assigned Issues

  • Check your team's project board for your current issues
  • Move issues through the columns as you work: Ready → In Progress → In Review → Done
  • Give updates in your team's Discord channel as you go

Tip: Always check an issue's description before starting, context saves time!

Marking Issues as Done

  • Make commits to your repository to finish your issue
  • Move the issue to Done once it's finished
  • Tell your Lead Dev that you've finished it

Beyond Your Team

"Help Wanted" Issues

Want to contribute beyond your own project? Check Open Sourcery's org-wide issue tracker for "help wanted" issues opened up by other teams, and take one on if it interests you.

Hack Sessions

Hack sessions run regularly and give your team dedicated time to work on your project together, a great chance to unblock each other and ship features.

Staying Connected

Collaborating & Communicating

  • Message your project's Discord channel if you need help or feedback
  • Keep discussions in issues, rather than side conversations, so everyone stays in the loop

Points of Contact

  • Email: umdopensourcery@gmail.com - reach out anytime with questions.
  • Discord:
    • #questions - quick, general questions
    • #all-devs - discussion with developers across Open Sourcery
    • Your project's own channel - for discussion with your team

Thinking of starting your own project? See what leading a team involves.

Read the Lead Developer Guide