[Design] Contributing to Wikimedia project

[Prastut Kumar]

Dear Wikimedia Team,

I am Prastut Kumar, a CS undergrad hailing from India and currently
pursuing my Bachelors in Computer Science and engineering from VIT
University, Chennai Campus.

Wikipedia has always been a source of knowledge for people like me hailing
from nations where information, valuable information cannot be found.

"Knowledge shared is knowledge earned".

Most of the time, while browsing through wiki, I have always thought of
donating but couldn't due to economic reasons. But as I was going through
GSOC voila! I found wikipedia there and also having separate design
section! I wish to contribute to the design and aesthetics of the
wikimedia project and gain essential skills to pursue my career as a web
developer-cum-UI/UX expert.

I know, I know GSOC has started. But there might be some opportunities
which would still be open for a guy like me. I should make this very clear
that I am solely contributing for the sake of contributing, not with any
expectations attached to it.

My question to you guys is, from where do I start contributing? How do I
begin?

Regards
Prastut

[bawolff]

Hi Prastut,

MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept
contributions from anyone willing to contribute. There is no need to
be part of GSOC or OPW. The main thing that such programs provide, is
a little bit of money, and a lot of structure, which some people find
helpful in getting involved.

There's some basic information on how to get involved at
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker . What
the best thing for you to do at the start depends on what sort of
skills you have, and where your interests lie. A common good starting
point is to find a really easy bug, and try to fix that. There's a
list of bugs that some people think are on the easier side at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/maniphest/query/o1M_232KG9W4/#R ,
and some more ui-ish ones at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/search/query/I3ZF1q6NBul0/#R (Be
warned, that anyone can mark a bug easy, so sometimes hard bugs get
mislabeled as easy, so don't be afraid to try a different bug if the
first one you pick seems harder than it looks).

Another good approach with open source, is to find something that
bothers you about the software currently, and try to fix it (The
"so-called" scratch an itch approach).

I also strongly encourage you to (if you're not already) subscribe to
wikitech-l mailing list. This is the general mailing list for
mediawiki development. I also encourage you to frequent the #mediawiki
irc channel on irc.freenode.net. People at #mediawiki can be very
helpful if you run into any problems, and you can learn a lot from
just passive listening.

Cheers,
bawolff

Post by Prastut Kumar
Dear Wikimedia Team,
I am Prastut Kumar, a CS undergrad hailing from India and currently pursuing
my Bachelors in Computer Science and engineering from VIT University,
Chennai Campus.
Wikipedia has always been a source of knowledge for people like me hailing
from nations where information, valuable information cannot be found.
"Knowledge shared is knowledge earned".
Most of the time, while browsing through wiki, I have always thought of
donating but couldn't due to economic reasons. But as I was going through
GSOC voila! I found wikipedia there and also having separate design section!
I wish to contribute to the design and aesthetics of the wikimedia project
and gain essential skills to pursue my career as a web developer-cum-UI/UX
expert.
I know, I know GSOC has started. But there might be some opportunities which
would still be open for a guy like me. I should make this very clear that I
am solely contributing for the sake of contributing, not with any
expectations attached to it.
My question to you guys is, from where do I start contributing? How do I
begin?
Regards
Prastut
_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

[Quim Gil]

Hi Prastut! Thank you for your interest in contributing to Wikimedia.

What Brian said, plus
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Annoying_little_bugs#Design

Please go through the tasks marked as Design+Easy, and feel free to post
your questions about a task in the task itself. If you still need more
generic help, this list is definitely the right place for designers to ask
questions about design.

Post by bawolff
Hi Prastut,
MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept
contributions from anyone willing to contribute. There is no need to
be part of GSOC or OPW. The main thing that such programs provide, is
a little bit of money, and a lot of structure, which some people find
helpful in getting involved.
There's some basic information on how to get involved at
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker . What
the best thing for you to do at the start depends on what sort of
skills you have, and where your interests lie. A common good starting
point is to find a really easy bug, and try to fix that. There's a
list of bugs that some people think are on the easier side at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/maniphest/query/o1M_232KG9W4/#R ,
and some more ui-ish ones at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/search/query/I3ZF1q6NBul0/#R (Be
warned, that anyone can mark a bug easy, so sometimes hard bugs get
mislabeled as easy, so don't be afraid to try a different bug if the
first one you pick seems harder than it looks).
Another good approach with open source, is to find something that
bothers you about the software currently, and try to fix it (The
"so-called" scratch an itch approach).
I also strongly encourage you to (if you're not already) subscribe to
wikitech-l mailing list. This is the general mailing list for
mediawiki development. I also encourage you to frequent the #mediawiki
irc channel on irc.freenode.net. People at #mediawiki can be very
helpful if you run into any problems, and you can learn a lot from
just passive listening.
Cheers,
bawolff

Post by Prastut Kumar
Dear Wikimedia Team,
I am Prastut Kumar, a CS undergrad hailing from India and currently

pursuing

Post by Prastut Kumar
my Bachelors in Computer Science and engineering from VIT University,
Chennai Campus.
Wikipedia has always been a source of knowledge for people like me

hailing

Post by Prastut Kumar
from nations where information, valuable information cannot be found.
"Knowledge shared is knowledge earned".
Most of the time, while browsing through wiki, I have always thought of
donating but couldn't due to economic reasons. But as I was going through
GSOC voila! I found wikipedia there and also having separate design

section!

Post by Prastut Kumar
I wish to contribute to the design and aesthetics of the wikimedia

project

Post by Prastut Kumar
and gain essential skills to pursue my career as a web

developer-cum-UI/UX

Post by Prastut Kumar
expert.
I know, I know GSOC has started. But there might be some opportunities

which

Post by Prastut Kumar
would still be open for a guy like me. I should make this very clear

that I

Post by Prastut Kumar
am solely contributing for the sake of contributing, not with any
expectations attached to it.
My question to you guys is, from where do I start contributing? How do I
begin?
Regards
Prastut
_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

[n***@gmail.com]

Hey Prastut,

Glad to hear you want to contribute. As Bawolff mentioned

MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept
contributions

from anyone willing to contribute There is no need to be part of GSOC or
OPW.

I think he has also mentioned few queries on phabricator which will sort of
out design tasks.

Getting to know what projects are being worked on is also another way for
you to get context on things you can contribute to.

Editing department projects <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Editing>
Search department projects and info
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Discovery>


Some more resources related to design contributions

Micro design improvements
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Micro_Design_Improvements>
How to give design feedback
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Design/How_to_give_design_feedback>
Whole Design workboard <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/design/>

Also feel free to get in touch with individuals on design team or on design
channel on IRC (#wikimedia-design) if you have any questions!

Thanks,
Nirzar

Hi Prastut,
MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept
contributions from anyone willing to contribute. There is no need to
be part of GSOC or OPW. The main thing that such programs provide, is
a little bit of money, and a lot of structure, which some people find
helpful in getting involved.
There's some basic information on how to get involved at
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker . What
the best thing for you to do at the start depends on what sort of
skills you have, and where your interests lie. A common good starting
point is to find a really easy bug, and try to fix that. There's a
list of bugs that some people think are on the easier side at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/maniphest/query/o1M_232KG9W4/#R ,
and some more ui-ish ones at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/search/query/I3ZF1q6NBul0/#R (Be
warned, that anyone can mark a bug easy, so sometimes hard bugs get
mislabeled as easy, so don't be afraid to try a different bug if the
first one you pick seems harder than it looks).
Another good approach with open source, is to find something that
bothers you about the software currently, and try to fix it (The
"so-called" scratch an itch approach).
I also strongly encourage you to (if you're not already) subscribe to
wikitech-l mailing list. This is the general mailing list for
mediawiki development. I also encourage you to frequent the #mediawiki
irc channel on irc.freenode.net. People at #mediawiki can be very
helpful if you run into any problems, and you can learn a lot from
just passive listening.
Cheers,
bawolff

Post by Prastut Kumar
Dear Wikimedia Team,
I am Prastut Kumar, a CS undergrad hailing from India and currently

pursuing

Post by Prastut Kumar
my Bachelors in Computer Science and engineering from VIT University,
Chennai Campus.
Wikipedia has always been a source of knowledge for people like me

hailing

Post by Prastut Kumar
from nations where information, valuable information cannot be found.
"Knowledge shared is knowledge earned".
Most of the time, while browsing through wiki, I have always thought of
donating but couldn't due to economic reasons. But as I was going through
GSOC voila! I found wikipedia there and also having separate design

section!

Post by Prastut Kumar
I wish to contribute to the design and aesthetics of the wikimedia

project

Post by Prastut Kumar
and gain essential skills to pursue my career as a web

developer-cum-UI/UX

Post by Prastut Kumar
expert.
I know, I know GSOC has started. But there might be some opportunities

which

Post by Prastut Kumar
would still be open for a guy like me. I should make this very clear

that I

Post by Prastut Kumar
am solely contributing for the sake of contributing, not with any
expectations attached to it.
My question to you guys is, from where do I start contributing? How do I
begin?
Regards
Prastut
_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

[Jon Robson]

Post by n***@gmail.com
Hey Prastut,
Glad to hear you want to contribute. As Bawolff mentioned
MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept contributions

from anyone willing to contribute There is no need to be part of GSOC or
OPW.

I think he has also mentioned few queries on phabricator which will sort
of out design tasks.
Getting to know what projects are being worked on is also another way for
you to get context on things you can contribute to.
Editing department projects <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Editing>
Search department projects and info
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Discovery>

also https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading :)

Post by n***@gmail.com
Some more resources related to design contributions
Micro design improvements
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Micro_Design_Improvements>
How to give design feedback
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Design/How_to_give_design_feedback>
Whole Design workboard <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/design/>
Also feel free to get in touch with individuals on design team or on
design channel on IRC (#wikimedia-design) if you have any questions!
Thanks,
Nirzar

Hi Prastut,
MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept
contributions from anyone willing to contribute. There is no need to
be part of GSOC or OPW. The main thing that such programs provide, is
a little bit of money, and a lot of structure, which some people find
helpful in getting involved.
There's some basic information on how to get involved at
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/How_to_become_a_MediaWiki_hacker . What
the best thing for you to do at the start depends on what sort of
skills you have, and where your interests lie. A common good starting
point is to find a really easy bug, and try to fix that. There's a
list of bugs that some people think are on the easier side at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/maniphest/query/o1M_232KG9W4/#R ,
and some more ui-ish ones at
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/search/query/I3ZF1q6NBul0/#R (Be
warned, that anyone can mark a bug easy, so sometimes hard bugs get
mislabeled as easy, so don't be afraid to try a different bug if the
first one you pick seems harder than it looks).
Another good approach with open source, is to find something that
bothers you about the software currently, and try to fix it (The
"so-called" scratch an itch approach).
I also strongly encourage you to (if you're not already) subscribe to
wikitech-l mailing list. This is the general mailing list for
mediawiki development. I also encourage you to frequent the #mediawiki
irc channel on irc.freenode.net. People at #mediawiki can be very
helpful if you run into any problems, and you can learn a lot from
just passive listening.
Cheers,
bawolff

Post by Prastut Kumar
Dear Wikimedia Team,
I am Prastut Kumar, a CS undergrad hailing from India and currently

pursuing

Post by Prastut Kumar
my Bachelors in Computer Science and engineering from VIT University,
Chennai Campus.
Wikipedia has always been a source of knowledge for people like me

hailing

Post by Prastut Kumar
from nations where information, valuable information cannot be found.
"Knowledge shared is knowledge earned".
Most of the time, while browsing through wiki, I have always thought of
donating but couldn't due to economic reasons. But as I was going

through

Post by Prastut Kumar
GSOC voila! I found wikipedia there and also having separate design

section!

Post by Prastut Kumar
I wish to contribute to the design and aesthetics of the wikimedia

project

Post by Prastut Kumar
and gain essential skills to pursue my career as a web

developer-cum-UI/UX

Post by Prastut Kumar
expert.
I know, I know GSOC has started. But there might be some opportunities

which

Post by Prastut Kumar
would still be open for a guy like me. I should make this very clear

that I

Post by Prastut Kumar
am solely contributing for the sake of contributing, not with any
expectations attached to it.
My question to you guys is, from where do I start contributing? How do I
begin?
Regards
Prastut
_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design

[Brian Wolff]

Post by Jon Robson

Post by n***@gmail.com
Hey Prastut,
Glad to hear you want to contribute. As Bawolff mentioned
MediaWiki (The software Wikipedia uses), is open source, so we accept contributions

from anyone willing to contribute There is no need to be part of GSOC or
OPW.

I think he has also mentioned few queries on phabricator which will sort
of out design tasks.
Getting to know what projects are being worked on is also another way for
you to get context on things you can contribute to.
Editing department projects <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Editing>
Search department projects and info
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Discovery>

also https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading :)

My advice would actually be to not get too caught up in what each
department is doing, and more figure out which things you want to work
on and do that regardless of where it falls in the WMF hierarchy.

Personally, I have trouble keeping straight which department is
responsible for what in our brave new re-org'd future ;)