Rules govern just about everything. There are rules of physics, rules in mathematics, rules in sports and the rule of law just to name a few. Naturally, open source development also has its own set of rules.

The thing is, some of these rules come so naturally to developers that they’re no longer mentioned, they’re simply understood. Break one however, and you’ll risk becoming a pariah of the open source world despite the fact that these rules have never been officially declared. So if you’re planning on delving deep into the world of open source development, you better make sure you know and abide by these unspoken rules:

Do Your Homework

Before entering into any community or project, always do your homework. Find out what the standard procedures are, who to approach or where to go with questions, what the specific community rules are, the project goals and mission,etc. You cannot just waltz into a community and expect it to be the same as others, or expect everyone to share your point of view, agree with all your suggestions or let you do what you want. Most times you have to start with the grunt work and prove your dedication to the project as a whole, and not just to the features you want implemented.

Look at the Bigger Picture

Speaking of the whole, you also need to have a more comprehensive understanding of a project and not just focus on the one area you’re interested in. Why? The butterfly effect. When you make a change in one area of the project, no matter how small it could still adversely affect the project as a whole. To avoid making this mistake it’s best to know just how all the pieces of the project fit together and how the area you’re interested in impacts the rest of the project. Looking at the bigger picture also means ensuring that contributions benefit not just your company or one company, but the community as a whole. Projects are not all about putting just one organization’s needs first, but about pushing the technology forward to benefit everyone in the industry.

Think Community

Communities are the backbone of open source projects. When you enter a community you can’t think of just yourself anymore, you have to do your part in maintaining the community. That means abiding by its rules, respecting its culture and generally maintaining a positive environment. You have to think about how your actions affect everyone else in the community. So you can’t just submit code and be done with it, you have to follow it through to the end and not let it burden other community members. You can’t just fork when you feel like it, you have to consult with the community as they will surely be affected by this act. Thinking of the community also means helping other community members when you can. Remember that the more you help, the more valued a community member you become.

Make Contributions as Foolproof as Possible

If you want your contributions to an open source project accepted and implemented, you have to make sure they’re foolproof. You have to think of every possible angle and issue and the solutions to these issues, which means you’ll also have to know enough about the code base and not just one aspect of the software.

Be Open

It may seem like a given, but sometimes even those in the field of open source need to be reminded to be open. This means being transparent to the community with all aspects of the project; being open to suggestions; and being open to change as it is indispensable to development.