contributing to FSF

I have been using Linux for the past 2 years. I'm still trying to get
my feet wet in many programming languages widely used by the GNU/FSF
community.
My goal has always been to contribute something to the FSF community
as I have gained a lot of help and support from them, at various times.
But to my disappointment, the complexities of the project maintenance
systems, and the correlated rules and guidelines for contributing code,
thwart me, most of the times in pursuing any further :(
What could prove to be a good starting point for newbie linux
enthusiastists like me???
Any valuable advices would be greatly appreciated!


_z33
--
I love TUX; well... that's an understatement :)

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Re: contributing to FSF

At 8/27/2005 10:51 +0530, _z33 wrote:
>I have been using Linux for the past 2 years. I'm still trying to
>get my feet wet in many programming languages widely used by the
>GNU/FSF community. My goal has always been to contribute something
>to the FSF community as I have gained a lot of help and support from
>them, at various times. But to my disappointment, the complexities
>of the project maintenance systems, and the correlated rules and
>guidelines for contributing code, thwart me, most of the times in
>pursuing any further :( What could prove to be a good starting point
>for newbie linux enthusiastists like me??? Any valuable advices
>would be greatly appreciated!

Participate. In a small way you're doing it right here and now. :)

Giving back to the community isn't just writing code. It can be by
providing support online in forums like this, or in local user groups
or other venues in which you find yourself. You might be able to
help process and organize bug and enhancement tracking or other
clerical details. Test and provide feedback to developers regarding
new releases. Evangelize: Tell those you interact with what you
think about the software and community and why you think it's better
than other choices.

Tailor whatever you do to your own personal combination of skills and
talents and opportunities.

Don't do it because the community needs or deserves it. Do it
because a stronger community benefits you. "TANSTAAFL"

--
Jeff Woods

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Re: contributing to FSF

Jeff Woods wrote:
> Participate. In a small way you're doing it right here and now. :)
>
> Giving back to the community isn't just writing code. It can be by
> providing support online in forums like this, or in local user groups or
> other venues in which you find yourself. You might be able to help
> process and organize bug and enhancement tracking or other clerical
> details. Test and provide feedback to developers regarding new
> releases. Evangelize: Tell those you interact with what you think about
> the software and community and why you think it's better than other
> choices.
>

Pretty enlightening and a motivating one. Thanks a lot!

> Tailor whatever you do to your own personal combination of skills and
> talents and opportunities.
>
> Don't do it because the community needs or deserves it. Do it because a
> stronger community benefits you. "TANSTAAFL"
>

TANSTAAFL --- ???

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Re: contributing to FSF

At 8/27/2005 11:23 +0530, _z33 wrote:
>Pretty enlightening and a motivating one. Thanks a lot!

You're welcome. :)

>TANSTAAFL --- ???

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
-- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress

Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html

--
Jeff Woods

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Re: contributing to FSF

Jeff Woods wrote:

> "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
> -- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
>
> Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
> http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
>
worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)

_z33
--
I love TUX; well... that's an understatement :)

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TANSTAAFL (was: Re: contributing to FSF)

S. Barret Dolph wrote:
> Actually there is no need to quote Heinlein as it is not his. Years ago in NYC
> one could get food for free if one purchased beer. But some would try to get
> food without a purchase. Thus signs were put up saything, "There is no such
> thing as a free lunch"
>
> Cordially,
> S. Barret Dolph
> Taipei Taiwan
>
> On Saturday 27 August 2005 06:09, _z33 wrote:
>
>>Jeff Woods wrote:
>>
>>>"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
>>>-- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
>>>
>>>Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
>>>http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
>>
>>worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)

Ah, nothing like an argument (excuse me; a discussion) about the origin
of a phrase to get the list moving.

Although Heinlein popularized both the phrase and the acronym, at least
among science-fiction readers, he originated neither.

Unfortunately, my standard off-line references (Bartlett's, Oxford
Dictionary of Quotations, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable) do
not include this aphorism. But there are better on-line sources than
jargonfile for investigating the origins of words and phrases.

This URL -- http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorf.htm [scroll down to "Free
Lunch"] is, to my mind, the most trustworthy source of origin
information, taking it (the phrase and the acronym) back to 1949 in San
Francisco. In contrast to all other "origin" stories (except the
Heinlein one), this site gives specific primary-source references.

I did see on another site (http://www.answers.com/topic/tanstaafl) the
assertion that NYC mayor La Guardia spoke the phrase, albeit in Latin,
in 1934. No mention of the occasion, though. This site --
http://www.word-detective.com/back-a2.html -- also references the La
Guardia story, referencing the Random House Historical Dictionary of
American Slang. (I couldn't quickly get my hands on that book, so I
don't know if it offers a primary source.)

Several sites note that the "free lunch" promotion gimmick itself goes
back to the 1850s, and at least one speculates that the "no free lunch"
riposte would have arisen soon thereafter (since skepticism about
advertising is far from a recent invention). I share that writer's faith
in the cynicism of humanity, myself.

I found nothing that corroborated Mr. Dolph's story ... the imprecision
of "some years ago" make it hard to judge if his purported usage
precedes or follows Heinlein's 1966 novel. I have heard this version
before, but only as a folk tale, not a documented "origin" story, and
I'm skeptical of it.

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Re: contributing to FSF

Actually there is no need to quote Heinlein as it is not his. Years ago in NYC
one could get food for free if one purchased beer. But some would try to get
food without a purchase. Thus signs were put up saything, "There is no such
thing as a free lunch"

Cordially,
S. Barret Dolph
Taipei Taiwan

On Saturday 27 August 2005 06:09, _z33 wrote:
> Jeff Woods wrote:
> > "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
> > -- from the Robert Heinlein novel: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
> >
> > Google's "feeling lucky" (i.e. first) result for TANSTAAFL:
> > http://jargon.net/jargonfile/t/TANSTAAFL.html
>
> worth putting that phrase on my desktop :)
>
> _z33
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Re: TANSTAAFL (was: Re: contributing to FSF)

Someone please get Ray a PhD in something........
he has prolly researched this one more than some languauge students ;)

How bout technical writing ???

Thesis on "2 Gazillion lines on linux-newbie: a summary (in 1.98
Gazillion lines)"

To Ray Olzewski,
THE Dude on newbie...... 3 Cheers!!!!!


--
riel: if it were a vax, gcc would probably be an opcode

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