Hacktoberfest was a really fun introduction into contributing to open source projects. It was a great learning experience. I've always had an interest in contributing to open source software but was always a bit too nervous about getting started with a new project - it was intimidating to ask to work on an issue as someone completely new to the codebase. Hacktoberfest forces you to step out of your comfort zone and work on 5 issues in a month, right off the bat.
What I Learned Through Each Pull Request
My first pull request tackled a layout problem for the focus-iOS web browser by Mozilla. Working on this issue taught me to take my time reading through a codebase that I am unfamiliar with - I shouldn't rush into a new project expecting to fix the issue quickly if I don't know the inner workings of the application.After completing my first pull request, I noticed a new issue that dealt very closely with my previous fix. Because of my previous knowledge with the code surrounding the issue, I was able to quickly make the fix and submit my second pull request. Going from not knowing anything about the codebase whatsoever from the start of my first pull request to knowing exactly how to apply a fix for my second pull request was a really satisfying fealing. Working on this project allowed me to quickly learn that there's no reason to be nervous about starting on a new project if you take your take learning relevant parts of the codebase.
The third issue I worked on was for the Brave iOS browser. I thought it would be a good idea to work on a similar project to the one that I previously worked on. This was the first pull request where I had my code reviewed. This was a great introduction to the community aspect of working on open source projects.
I came back to focus-iOS for my fourth issue to work on another layout issue - this time more difficult and more critical than the others. I wanted to challenge myself going forward. At first glance, I had no idea where to start but after talking with the community and digging through the code, the fix became clear. Working on this issue taught me that just because something may look challenging, it only looks that way because you haven't read through the code yet. Once you do, the factors that play into the fix should become apparent.
For my last issue, I decided to work on a feature, rather than just fixing a bug. The fix itself wasn't too complicated because I knew what to look for because of my previous contributions. The problem was that the fix was supposed to mimic the functionality with the Android version of the browser but because I didn't have an Android device, I had to rely on the help of the community to guide me on the right path for this fix.
What I Learned
Hacktoberfest was a great learning experience. Because of it, I am no longer anxious about joining new projects. I have already experienced what it takes to begin contributing to a new project and know what to do for the next time that I choose to send in my first pull request to a project. Hacktoberfest also taught me about the community aspect of open source - there are people of all levels of experience working on open source projects. If you get stuck on something, you can rely on others to help fix the issue.Hacktoberfest introduced me to projects that I see myself contributing to on my free time. This was a great experience to be a part of and I am looking forward to joining again next year.
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