This week, we focused primarily on group work and getting to know what projects other groups selected. Honestly, all of the projects selected are oneās that Iāve never heard of or that I know only slightly through the project evaluations, so itās going to be extra interesting learning about the platform and the work that each team does on the codebase.
In context of the stand ups, every group did such a great job at being concise in describing what their project is and what theyāve done so far. It might be me reading a little too much into it, but itās so fun seeing how the teams interact and work together. Everyone seems really passionate in the project selected and all the teams created look as if all the group members āperfectlyā aligned. In other words, they match each otherās energy which is a great thing!
Not only that, but it was reassuring to me that for the most part we were all on the same page and troubleshooting the development environment. I, for some reason, always feel very nervous in the early stages of a project, so itās really calming to know that everyone is still testing and getting familiarized with the codebase. There are some outliers who are very engaged and already investigating issues, so it can be stressful, but I always take a step back to re-analyze that everyone goes at their own pace and expertise levels. Thereās no need to compare or feel bad as long as I know Iām staying on top of my work and being as engaged to contributing to p5.js as I can be!
My group is geninuely so awesome! We all have a seriously-unserious mindset in the context of knowing when we need to be working, but also balancing it out with getting to know one another and just chilling. Itās a no pressure, work on what you can environment for now that I really appreciate. I obviously am biased and think that my team is the best, so I hope that everyone also has that mindset towards their own team!
Overall, all of the teams seem perfectly curated and itās nice to know that we all are relatively on the same pace of being familiarized with our projects. I canāt wait to see how everyone contributes to their open source repos.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I will always be a little pessimistic no matter how good a situation is. In other words, I really hope that my groupās chill personalities donāt create too much complacency to a point where itās as if we arenāt doing anything. Iām sure we are all on a Spring Break mindset right now, and hope that we can lock in when coming back from break!
Overall, I will keep reiterating, I really do love this class. Itās so fun and engaging to be in a class of intellectuals who do seem to care about CS and are very knowledgable. I honestly have never had a class that is this diverse and engaging, so Iām glad to be here and not graduate from NYU thinking that all the CS classes were a bummer.
]]>Who knew the day was so soon? We finally got our group assignments and itās great! Being able to meet everyone on my team for the rest of the semester was truly great as everyone is amazing and super talented. Itās really nice knowing that we all get along super well and were able to joke and have a great time.
Not only that, but it was good to know that we were able to lock in. In other words, get down to business. š©š»āš»š¤Æ We were able to establish our Team Agreements and were always on the same page. I donāt want to jinx anything, but we make a pretty neat team. There was a blend of humor and seriousness, that for me is critical and very appreciated. I hate when things are taken too seriously, and in being able to laugh and learn about one another, I have justified hope that we will do so well.
A prime example of us working well was our ability to quickly decide on our final project: p5.js.
Our deducing skills to determine this project consisted of all of us listing projects that we were interested in contributing to. We then went through each repository and the project evaluations to decipher which projects actually seemed workable and which projects had space for first timers to actually contribute to. After that, we pretty much ended with p5.js which was a great thing as we appreciated itās websiteās interface and the features! We were smoothly able to fork the repo and learn more about the projects community with joining the discord and reading their contributing guidelines.
So overall, my group is wonderful. We havenāt hit any obstacles yet, besides learning how to better use p5.js and itās components. We aim to do so by following tutorials and speaking to individuals that we know who have used it before! We are really excited to start making contributions!!
My group is geniunely phenomenal. I couldnāt have asked for a better quad! Not only that but Iām really excited to learn more about the project. Iām also even more excited knowing that this was a project that was started at NYU, so it makes it even more personal intriguing.
Random fact, Iāve never heard about this project, but after being in this class I canāt help but constantly always hear it from others. Itās so weird but nice knowing that when people mention it, I actually know what it is now! Not only that, but the fact that it actually is something that is so interesting and that Iād love to engage in further on my own time!
]]>I wish upon a š that I fish a project not so far (from my capabilities).
In other words, the imposter syndrome is hitting hard. Going through all of these project evaluations and contributing documents, Iām so nervous to actually contribute. Even though I see issue and bugs that I can help with, the anticipation and the nervousness of taking the first few steps to engage in the project worry me. I know these feelings will soon quell with time and especially exposure to my final selected software, so hopefully in a couple weeks I can report that Iām not as nervous!!
Anyways, to get back on track, Iām not picky with my project. I hope itās something I can understand quickly and that itās something I have been or could use consistently. In an ideal world, I hope itās a learning platform or something educational (especially for beginners and/or the youth) because I love the concept of teaching and spreading knowledge. Iād also love to do something UI or front-end development related as I feel like I can contribute a great deal with my knowledge in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Besides that, I ultimately want to make at least 1 meaningful contribution. There geninunely is no scope, it could even be a bug on the site or a typo, but Iād love to visibly see the change I made on the software. Itās kind of a simple goal right now, but Iād love to know that my skills have contributed to something.(For the most part in my CS classes, the projects/assignments were typically put to the side and never seen again).
Nonetheless, I know that everyone always has something to teach someone else, so Iād love to keep expanding my goals the more experience I gain with contributing. Though there may be many hurdlesā¦ I can list a few:
I know that it will take many mistakes to actually feel confident to make solid contributions. And knowing myself especially (an extreme overthinker), I am going to put in the effort, study up on the repo, and look at examples to do my best to help my project rather than cause more problems. Ultimately, however, my goal beyond contributing is ensuring that I have a satisifed and successful group. Knowing that we can work together and be able to communicate concerns or good things will make me feel super successful! I hope to contribute as much as I can to my group, whether it be moral support, organization, or more technical skills. So to counter my previous cons list with a pros list, I think I can help contribute with my knowledge in:
This might be false confidence as of now, but I am extremely adaptable know that everything will be great!!
I think Iām getting used to the flow of making simple contributions. I have mainly focused on making contributions to Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and the classās weekly blogs or sites. In actively trying to find things to fix, I find myself seeing more mistakes which is crazy. I donāt tend to normally notice any major bugs or broken links, so I find that this practice helps me to be more detail-oriented and observant. Not only that but I am having a good time being nitpicky. It feels like trying to find a needle in a haystack but itās a challenge that is funā¦? Okay, Iām just rambling now, but regardless I enjoy this activity as Iām able to actually use my super fan knowledge in books and movies and make a contribute to a Wikipedia page that got something wrong. Or Iām able to stalk my hometown and reminisce on the old stores there used to be.
As of now, I feel pretty confident with reporting issues and making the small changes on Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap, so now the big challenge is stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something different. Now I need to focus on solving current issues on the class site (not adding to them only) and maybe seeking other foss projects to engage in. Iām glad Iām starting very small as with time Iāll feel more confident to actually take on the role of changing code.
ā Star Contribution: I am most proud of my Wikipedia contribution to my favorite movie. It was so menial but I loved being a smartass and saying āwell actually š¤āļø this was an important fact.ā ā
In class we continued to work on project evaluations, and though already interesting, it got EVEN more interesting with the incorporation of AI. This time around we used an AI, specifically Gemini, to evaluate our projectās website/repo. Though Gemini did give a good summary of what each project was about, it did really bad when giving specific numbers or links to pull requests/issues. It made a lot of assumptions and rounded off really weirdly. I would say that though it was correct in some aspects, itās accuracy was pretty low. Thus, to some degree I could rely on AI for a quick summary, however, I ultimately believe that a more thorough evaluation must be done manually especially as Iāll be able to get a better feel for it myself.
Really excited to get into the nitty gritty details of getting a team, being stuck with the team, and finding a project! Itās like everything is becomming a reality and thatās so exciting!!
]]>Well, my group did not present yet in class, however it was super great watching other groups. They all did such an amazing job and the extensions were so well developed and thought out. Honestly speaking, some of the projects were extensions that I would want to use and actually contribute to.
I really appreciated how prepared and on top of it each group was. It felt like watching a pitch on their extensions and it made me more intrigued. From practical to silly, there was such a great range. I especially enjoyed the browser screen pop-up and the drowsy-lobotomy video filter. They were both extension ideas that I found really unique and interesting to explore. Not only that, but I appreciated how detailed everyoneās projects were and that they were all different!
Although my group did not present, the biggest take-away I had from interacting with my group and seeing others is how creative everyone is. I love how engaged everyone was and how knowledgeable they were with their project. I also noticed how divided the group work was, in the sense where each group member seemed to play into their skills. For example, if someone was more confident in their coding skills vs their presenting skills. On the other hand, I also felt like my group played into this role breakdown. Everyone was able to contribute based on their skills and it helped to make our successful extension. Iām really grateful for such an amazing group because we all contributed in meaningful ways to ensure that we are prepared for our presentation on Monday!
All three videos were really interesting to watch and I liked how much they emphasized the importance of open source coding. More specifically the context in which they promote culture and long-term sustainability, especially in a time where capitalism thrives and commercialization is so common, I appreciate the focus on collaboration. In addition, the talks on how thereās so much value of AI and the how it will make a major impact of software development and potentially even cause risks. As a result, itās vital to re-evaulate the construction of development and the history of software development to ensure that risks and mistakes and minimized, especially in a new day and age that is rapidly changing.
Presenting has always been something that changes depending on how interested and knowledgeable I am on the topic. I would never feel 100% confident when presenting, but one thing that I will do is fake it till I make it. I will always remember that the anticipation is the hard part, and all that matters is that I am heard and understood and that my main points are conveyed clearly.
So, watching these presentations and videos helped me to understand the importance of firstly, understanding my topic in great detail. All of the presenters in the video exuded so much confidence and were very authentically themselves. They seemed very passionate and conversational and also had a clear structure. Not only that, but they have such strong and purposeful storytelling which pushes me to incorporate myself more in presentations even when there is an academic component to it and I might feel like I have to be more āserious.ā
Overall, with the videos and the other groupsā presentation, I aim to have more passion and structure. Though itās important to hear and convey the concepts in a way the presenter understands, itās also important to have a presentation that an audience can comprehend and have a valid takeaway. In my mind, a meaningful presentation should have at least one memorable component, no matter how long ago it was viewed. More specifically, with the class presentations and the videos, I honestly can name a takeaway and recall all the extensions, which showed how clearly they were able to communicate their product.
I canāt wait to start engaging in more open source project and finding the ones that I feel like I can make a meaningful contribution to!
]]>My exposure to Git and Open Source Projects prior to this week have been very minimal. This weeks exposure have allowed me to explore both components on a deeper level. More specifically, in the sense of being able to better understand their relevance to project.
Honestly speaking, I feel like I personally am really good at finding shortcuts to git. Iāve always used the terminal in VSCode, with very limited experience to the MacOS terminal. Not only that, but prior to the Mac laptop that I have now, I used to have a Dell one and had to download the git terminal seperately. In this case, I always preferred not to engage on the local terminal, even as I grew to understand how to use it and git through my Agile class last semester. On top of that, in my Agile class I was able to follow tutorials to get through each step, without knowing or actually remembering what was happening.
So, with the assistance of this class, I grew to better understand git and itās funcitionality. Whether it be through understanding the commands and terminology in more complexity or the flow of projects using git, Iāve grown to seek understanding the value of git. In other words, how git is actually beneficial when tracking changes in a file, especially when working with a team.
This is prevelant with the extension project going on. Without git, it wouldāve been hard to understand which parts of the code were rewritten or changed by others. Even if my group had different roles and parts to focus on, there still is the potential of the code changes overlapping which would definitely cause merge issues. With git, it addresses these issues to allow my group and projects overall to flow more steadily.
Thus, the git exercises in class and slide deck provides an easy resource to refer to when wanting to understand the main points of the git and the commands useful for navigating the terminal for a project.
My group focused on evaluating scikit-learn. It was such a great resource, and honestly if I was more involved in data processing and more knowledgeable on those concepts, I wouldāve loved to contribute to that project. Everyone seemed so friendly and communicative which made it easier to navigate the repo.
However, this isnāt only relevant to scikit-learn, but also to majority of the projects evaluated by other students. I found myself very intrigued with how each project was open sourced, yet also very descriptive and detailed in how others could contribute. I was really intrigued with Jellyfin and Godot as they were resources that I could understand more easily, and in theory possibly make a contribution that I feel like would be valuable.
Overall, Iām really excited to work on an open source project and get truly involved with an active team. I find it super rewarding to know that Iām not going to create another software that is never seen again, but actually to make contributions that can impact others with actively running softwares. Thus, as I continue to explore open source projects, I find myself excited to see what changes I can make. Howevevr, I also fear and believe that my main challenge is if I can actually make valid contribution to a project. So, I love and greatly appreciate that we are spending so much time in class to review projects and their contributing documents. Though it can be hard for me to judge if I can actually implement something meaningful, I know that with more experience and exposure to contribution documents, I can warm me up to the idea that if I read the documentation I can find something that I am confident in!! Side note: I also love how inclusive and descriptive some projects are, it makes me feel even more valued and trust that I can contribute, even if very little.
Every week I continue to greatly appreciate this class and honestly am reminded how excited I am to be able to contribute to something. So exciting and I canāt wait to see what more I can learn about open source but also git!!
]]>In Week 3 of OSSD, we were put into groups to make a browser extension. Though this class primarily focuses on being in groups and conversing, this is the first time we are actually producing software that has the potential to be open source.
I had a great time getting to know and work with my group mates @milelime, @nuzhny25, and @tgs8717. Theyāre all such talented and intelligent individuals and Iām so excited to see the project we produce as a team. I feel like all of ideals and visions for this project align and thankfully there seems to be no major (personal) problems.
In class, we flew through the questions of the assignment, creating our own trial āHello Worldā extension, exploring the Chrome Extensions samples repository, and exploring the uBlock Origin Lite repository. In doing these activities, I greatly appreciated how accomodating yet decisive my group is. It was really easy for us to agree on what topic to do, which is insane, since my history of group work always consisted of indecision and everyone being too considerate of others. I loved how we didnāt waste the time we had together and established communication routes pretty early.
Not only that, but we had great discourse when discussing possible extensions to create. We evaluated the complexities of each of our ideas, our skill levels, and our time to determine what the best route to take would be. This led to us deciding on a practical and usable extension ā a temperature converter. More specifically, the ability to highlight text, such as temperature to transform it into the opposing temperature. I found this idea most compelling as itās very helpful but also as there is room for growth and additional features if the time permits.
As of now, my group is not facing any roadblocks or challenges as our goals are all in order. We have established what needs to be done and have been assiting each other as posisble. Right now, we are contemplating what license to apply to our code and are contending on either the MIT License or the GNU General Public License depending on our project goals. I have assisted in curating the repository and partaking in research for the license and will soon be assisting on writing the code itself to see the program come to fruition. In this process, I find myself to be a steady collaborator, more so in the sense where I donāt take the lead but will consistently contribute through confirmation or side comments. I find value in developing our progress, no matter how slow or little it is. In other words, though I donāt take the āleadā role, I still feel pretty valuable in decision making and development of the software. This is surprising to me as I realize that my involvement in a project greatly varies with how the teammates are like and how they assume their roles. For example, if no one is taking the lead I will, thus showing my ability to adapt to different circumstances.
Over time, I find myself much more interested in the concept of open source. I started to realize how much exposure I have to open source softwares and how the media protrays them. Itās so interesting seeing this process and actually understanding the concept of licensing, code of conducts, and the formate of a repository as I was unexperienced in these concepts. Overall, I once again am expressing my appreciation for this course as itās so much fun. I love how collaborative it is, and it makes me excited to go to class everyday!
]]>When growing up, the āGolden Ruleā was always thrown around ā āDo unto others as you would have them do unto you.ā In other words, reciprocate the same energy and kindness you would like others to show you. I always took this personally and had the tenacity to respect and empathize with others. In some way, I thought this was common sense and basic human decency.
So, it may come as a shock to realize that not everyone learned this. At this point, Iām just being satirical, but it really does seem comical to know that we, as working or soon to be working professionals, need a guide to dictate how we behave. Then again, thatās a whole social debacle with laws and rules that can become way too complicated with a complex society. Thus, the existence of a Code of Conduct shouldnāt be shocking nor shouldnāt be opposed.
In my opinion, as a means of predicting the unpredicable, a Code of Conduct can actually be helpful. (Base line, if youāre a good person who is nice or at least indifferent to others, the Code of Conduct should not deter you or ever affect you UNLESS someone else is the reason) It is, for the most part, a broad documentation that establishes the work enviornment of a company and the community they promote. In this case, usually how welcoming the enviornment is and how the organization will get involved and enforce the policies in situations where the work evniornment is no longer safe and enjoyable.
In this case, I believe a Code of Conduct is quite necessary for all projects. Even if it seems like it is not ānecessaryā, itās never bad to be overly prepared in case something might happen. The documentation gives room to understand that bad behavior will not be condoned. It can tackle unacceptable behavior and outline grounds for consequence if someone were to become uncomfortable. It helps protects the community and leaves room for interpretation and discourse in times where enforcement of policies is necessary. Not only that but it gives an organization time to check if their members actually read the handbook, and it primarily promotes a welcoming enviornment.
To provide an example, the Go Project provides a fairly detailed Code of Conduct that adapts from the Contributor Covenant. In both of the Code of Conducts, they address the projectās pledge/purpose, their standards, responsibilities, scope, enforcement, and attributions. In my opinion, all these topics being essential for the baseline of a project and actually showing the members that the org cares about their wellbeing and workplace culture. I do have to note, that although Go adapts the Contributor Covenant, I appreciate the changes that Go has.
There are other forms of Code of Conducts, such as for Eclipse, the Sugar Labs and React.
Overall, the implementation of a Code of Conduct may come off as unnecessary as everyone that is hired or a part of a collaborative project should know to be kind in a teamwork setting. However, this is not always the case as conflict will and can always arrise when least expected, thus why itās important to have a Code of Conduct just in case conflict arises. Not only that, but it also provides members of a project to feel like they can be heard and protected. For example, like in the talk āHow to Drive Consensus and Transparency Within Open Source Communitiesā featuring Jill Lovato & Trishan de Lanerolle, itās important to have an enviornemnt, especially in the context of Open Source, that can thrive collaboratively. In my opinion, itās essential that there are agreements on the direction of a project and how to get to that solution. It is also possible that things change along the way and that there are conflict that may halt the projects at times. However, itās about finding that community that is able to share their understanding and understand a unified direction that everyone can work on. It may involve sacrifices and settling, but it also involves ensure that everyoneās voice is heard. In this case, a Code of Conduct may come handy to ensure that checks are in place, in case a conflict may become too stubborn and interfere with the success of a project. Additionally, the video addresses transparency, which I believe is always necessary to ensure that everyone is involved or able to catch up and understand what is going on. This helps to reduce confusion or overrealiance on others if there is nothing that is clearly documented. It can also cause problems if nothing is openly established or enforced (like through a code of conduct) as people may believe that they can act in any way without consequences. Ultimately, however, in having a Code of Conduct, no matter the situation, there is a document and policy that ensures that conflict will be resolved, and that no matter the problem, it will be resolved in a way that is meaningful to the teamās and the projectās success.
And with that, itās important to emphasize and sum that itās always good to be a person who is open to work with others in a respectful manner, with or without a Code of Conduct
Itās been 2 weeks in this class and Iām honestly having a blast. Being able to engage with so many people and to meet fellow CS students is honestly so much fun and really rewarding. I canāt wait to keep up with the team activities, engage in the lectures, and see how the year progresses. Iām going to keep saying that because the classes are going super great and I really hope to say that in my reflection every week!!
]]>When thinking about the concept of āopen sourceā and hearing it, I think of code that is collaborative in nature as anyone is able to access, view, and edit it under specific licensing terms. Not only that, but users are able to contribute to the main codebase once reviewed and approved by others. I also envision a Google Document where users have the ability to edit, suggest edits, comments, make changes and make copies of the original document. Though not exactly open source or as strict as code bases that may need approval before the main codebase is actually changed, āopen sourceā to me is something that promotes collaboration.
In other words, āopen sourceā coding is very beneficial and advantageous. It allows users globablly, of all levels of experiences and worldviews, to interact and contribute to a project. It diversifies its code and allows for multiple unique customizations. Though there are disadvantages and problems such as fears of slow work, lack of dedicated contributors, or security vulnerabilities that may appear due to multiple user interactions, āopen sourceā projects can vary depending on the community it is open to. Thus, though there may be advantages and problems of āopen sourceā, itās cost and contributions from user will impact itās success.
Thus, in learning and understanding all of these feature of open source, I was greatly inspired to register for this class. Iām excited to work along my peers to collaborate on existing open source projects and futher understand the purpose and value of these projects. Not only that, but to have multiple people working within a project to improve teamwork and understand how a career may be realistically as there usually isnāt only one person working on code.
In thinking about my involvement in open source projects, my mind drew a blank. I was geninuely so confused, beleiving that I didnāt actually use any. However, with research, I realized that I actually do engage in multiple open source projects. More specifically:
Overall, Iām really excited to further engage in the class. I had a great time in the first one as I felt that the energy of my peers and the collaboration is going to greatly inspire me to stay engaged.
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