Influencers in the software engineering industry often seek attention and followers, but it's important not to blindly follow them.
Contributing to open source should be meaningful and not just for personal gain or recognition.
Ways to contribute meaningfully include replacing paid software with open source alternatives, showing gratitude to maintainers, sponsoring projects, spreading the word, and actively participating in issue reporting and fixing.
When contributing to open source projects, ensure following proper guidelines, labeling, testing, and submitting clean pull requests.
The essence of genuine open source contribution lies in understanding problems, actively engaging with the software, and offering valuable solutions rather than seeking rewards or validation.
Open source software is a collaborative platform for creators and builders, emphasizing intentionality, helpfulness, and respect in contributions.
Nixopus, a modern open-source VPS manager, is recommended for those looking to contribute and improve existing software.
The article encourages starting with open source contributions and emphasizes the significance of genuine intentions and helpfulness in the community.