[IPython-dev] [IPython-User] how to pitch in to help IPython (documentation)

[Fernando Perez]

On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 12:33 AM, Paul Ivanov <pivanov314 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> "But how do I get started? It seems like I need a PhD in ZeroMQ to
> even start, and my [forthcoming?] degree is in X, not ZeroMQ!"
>
> Fear not! One easy, but very valuable way to contribute is by
> improving the documentation. Take a look at this pull request:
> https://github.com/ipython/ipython/pull/1385

I want to wholeheartedly second Paul's message, and add an important
point: you can help by *reviewing* existing pull requests, such as the
one above!  Reviewing other's code is also a great way to start
learning how the project is structured and 'get into the workflow' of
IPython.  And while we do have sometimes PRs that are thorny and
complex, there are also others that can be easily reviewed by new
contributors.

For the core team, finding already feedback from someone else is
already net progress on any PR and may help us move faster on it.

Furthermore, one of you may have a platform/OS/etc combination the
core team doesn't have, so providing feedback about how well a given
PR works on *your* platform may actually be extremely valuable to us.

In summary, take Paul's message at heart, and hopefully you'll find
that contributing to the project is easier than you think, and can be
very rewarding in the long run.  You can start with some of these
easier approaches, and next thing you know, you *will* be digging into
the heart of the beast :)

Best,

f