Helping new contributors

[Paul Sutton]

Hi All

In an effort to try and recruit and importantly help find more 
developers at all levels I am trying to reach out to people locally.

I think what is needed here, is a clearly laid out pathway in to free 
software contribution using free software tools.

So for example, a project needs to make it clear which programming 
languages / frameworks or skills are needed, from there we can find ways 
to helping learners develop those skills

While, rather old, this guide is still useful

https://tldp.org/LDP/Bash-Beginners-Guide/html/index.html
also resources from
https://personaljournal.ca/studysupportgroup/i-am-sharing-this-here-too-as-programming-is-applicable-to-science-and-data 
e.g bash command line and the c book.

How can we take people from having some basic IT knowledge and then help 
them develop further, without it taking up masses of our time (unless 
people pay us of course)

In a way we can dictate to people our terms are they use irc / mailing 
list to ask questions, is that unreasonable ?  Given that other 
providers will insist on closed platforms generally.

I am trying to set up a support group for mostly science, the related 
discourse forum does have a computer category.


https://personaljournal.ca/studysupportgroup/

It would just be useful to have some sort of backing to this. I have 
joined DebianAcademy team to help develop materials, so they are working 
on a packaging course, and a few others.  I created a course on LaTeX 
presentations, so people could contribute)

I am just concerned that if we insist on using fully free software tool 
online tools, people are not going to bother, they will however

I can present an idea to people locally (Torbay, Devon), but I am under 
the serious impression we need to spell out EXACTLY what people are to 
expect and learn, rather than suggesting a general idea.

People are used to being taught, rather than self directed learning. ;

By doing this ourselves, as advocates of free software, we can include 
links to why free software methologies are better, even if we have to be 
a little flexible in what we use for support and communication, 
Discourse my not be ideal, but would we rather people used facebook or 
discord ?  My support group is about respecting privacy /user freedom as 
much as possible.  We can use BBB for classroom type chat, over using 
zoom or teams.

It raises the profile and promotes alternatives through usage, rather 
than us just saying the are better platforms.

Just a thought. Can the FSF / GNU help me develop this idea further?


Paul

--
Paul Sutton, Cert Cont Sci (Open)
https://personaljournal.ca/paulsutton/
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