open-source-workshop

workshop materials for a "how to contribute to open source" workshop for researchers

Open Scientific Code using Git and GitHub

A collection of explanations and short practical exercises to help researchers learn more about version control and open source software. Here are some accompanying slides.

  1. What is open source?
    • Define open source vs. free software, discuss licencing.
  2. What is version control?
    • Define version control & discuss it purpose.
  3. Practical exercises with Git & GitHub
  4. What makes an open source project good?
    • Learn to make your software useful for you and for others - add readmes, running docs, contributor guidelines, etc.
  5. Getting started contributing to other projects
    • A good way to learn open project norms is by contributing to other projects. Here’s how to find ways to contribute.
  6. Additional resources
    • excited by the thought of getting involved in the open scientific code community? Lots of good links to follow up.

Group exercises

If you’re working on these in a group, you could also try these group exercises out. Break into groups of 4 to 7 people.

  1. Discuss open source
    • Working openly with software and data: pros, cons, and pondering points.
  2. Review open source projects
    • Look at an open source project you’re interested in. Can you figure out how to contribute?