Participating in Open-Source Java projects

Java is a primary language for a huge number of Open-Source projects and is the driver of a large set of Open Source Java technologies, collectively forming the Open-Source Java community

Image linked from http://www.sun.com/software/opensource/java/index.jsp

A search on SourceForge returns 16237 Java projects, Ohloh.net returns 2391 results, freshmeat returns 3211 projects. Similar figures are returned by Google code. http://dev.java.net is a dedicated host for Open-Source projects written in Java.

For Java developers who are looking to contribute to Open-Source projects, the choices are plenty ranging from widely used products such as NetBeans and Eclipse to smaller hobby projects which have been open-sourced by their developers. For those who are just getting their feet wet in Open-Source things can be overwhelming, if not difficult. My aim here is to show you some starting points which I have discovered in my very short period of being in Open-Source.

Remember: The Golden Rule of participating in any Open-Source project is that you will have to use it to go anywhere near participating. Participating doesn't always mean contributing: Use the software. If you find any bugs report the developers- flame them, if you lke the product appreciate them. Everything counts.

In the next lines of text, I shall point to you some resources which will give you an idea of the various Open-Source Java projects you can participate in:

Sun Microsystems Inc. backed Open Source Java projects

• OpenJDK
• NetBeans IDE
  
• GlassFish
• JavaDB
  

The Apache Jakarta Project

http://jakarta.apache.org/ lists open-source Java projects developed under the project


IBM Developerworks Index

IBM Developerworks maintain an index of Open-Source Java projects at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/views/java/projects.jsp

Apache Project

The Apache Project has a large collection of Open Source Java projects.


Eclipse

Eclipse is an open source community whose projects are focused on building an open development platform comprised of extensible frameworks, tools and runtimes for building, deploying and managing software across the lifecycle.

Projects hosted on Java.net

A large number of high quality projects are hosted at https://www.dev.java.net/servlets/ProjectList

These are the largest gateways to Open-Source Java projects. At the same time, most of these are HUGE projects, so huge that you might feel lost as to where you should start and how you can contribute. Do not worry, spend some time looking around, ask a few questions, use the software, think, hack it up, announce and before you know you are a proud contributor to Open Source!

In subsequent posts, I shall zoom in on some Open-Source Java projects I contribute and/or follow and/or use and chart out some ways in which you can start contributing!

See you then!

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The views expressed here are entirely mine- the mistakes are entirely my responsibility and will possibly be due to my early days in Open-Source. So please let me know, so that I can improve this post and my knowledge.