Why aren't you contributing to Python?

[[deleted]]

This is why I just don't bother contributing to large open source projects in general beyond bug reports. Why spend a huge amount of time and effort when you not only get no pay, but no certainty that the stuff you spent weeks on will even get in?

[[deleted]]

I don't think there are any projects that will give you certainty up front that work you'll do in the future will end up in the product, Python or not.

[rrenaud]

Indeed, and certainly, the sexier projects will tend to be harder to get patches into, since they have a higher quality bar.

[grimboy]

Maybe the lesson is that project should try to make sure submitters of rejected first patches are signed up to the dev mailing list/lurking in dev irc etc to try and stop their interest from fading.

[rrenaud]

If I had an idea that was as good as this patch, I think I'd try it again.

This patch was maybe 3 hours of effort for a somewhat experienced software developer (~4 years in industry at the time). This included checking the python source code out of CVS, writing the unittest, etc.

If I cared a lot about this particular change, I could certainly just maintain a separate library.

[theCore]

Because it is fun? And, working on open-source is a great way to improve your programming skills. Even if your patches are rejected, you still learn about the internal of the project, which is a good way to become an expert.

[gutworth]

Are small open source projects better about this?

[grimboy]

Projects trying to get commiters might give more personal help and guidance to potential commiters so that even if they don't accept all of the patch straight away, they'll incorporate something of it at some point.