Blog 6: October 3rd

• There are many very popular and successful open-source software (OSS) projects that have been developed by many individuals who have dedicated their time and expertise anonymously. Some of these projects are Android, WordPress, and Linux, but not all OSS projects are as widely known. In fact, most of the OSS projects that developers contribute to are not as well-known to the public.
  As developers, there are two main reasons why one might dedicate their time to contribute to OSS: intrinsic or extrinsic motives. Intrinsic motives are when someone wants to contribute because it is a hobby for them—it is enjoyable, and they find the challenge enticing. Extrinsic motives are when a developer expects a return for their contribution, which is often a monetary value.
  In the paper titled "Intrinsic Motivation in Open Source Software Development," the authors delve into the phenomenon of why an army of volunteer developers would commit and dedicate their time to low-visibility projects. The three main reasons are:

  • The need for a particular software solution (i.e., the phenomenon of user-programmers)

  • The fun of playing (i.e., some form of homo ludens payoff)

  Personally, I want to become an OSS developer because I would like to give back to the community. As someone that is new to the tech field, I am still exploring and learning as I go. I want to be able to give back to the OSS project that has helped me start my journey as a Software Developer. Runestone Academy's way of approach to teaching and introducing the new generation to the tech field is very helpful to those who might find it confusing and overwhelming. I really enjoyed the implemented exercises that were right on the page, and I could even do the exercises on my own time without having to go to another website or download more software. A lot of the courses that I had taken previously required me to purchase expensive textbooks and pay large sums just for me to do my assignments. I used to be a pre-med Biology major and had to take several Chemistry courses. Every chemistry course I took required us to buy a textbook and sign up for a website to submit our weekly assignments on Cengage or Pearson. The payment for the assignment website was not a one-time payment, it would be per class, and as soon as the duration of the course ended the assignment I had completed previously would close and it was pretty hard to use them as a resource later to study. In contrast, when I was taking my first Computer Science courses I was very happy to find out that I did not have to buy a textbook or pay a subscription for software to submit my assignments. I have used several of the textbooks from Runestone Academy, and I have enjoyed using the textbooks.
  I am currently a senior in college. I came to college during the peak of COVID, when everything was still very tightly regulated and the rules had to be followed to the letter, or students faced very serious consequences. We were not allowed to leave the college campus, and hanging out with friends or even making new friends as a freshman had become very difficult. More and more people preferred to just stay in their rooms because there was not much happening around campus anyway.
  I wanted to help others come out and still enjoy their college experience, so I joined the Campus Activities Board (CAB), which organized events for students. This is a purely volunteer job that does not pay any money, and the time that people dedicate to it is because of intrinsic motives. It was time-consuming because organizing events for 500+ people every week, contacting and reaching out to vendors, making sure that the events were still within the campus guidelines, setting up, working the events, and cleaning up after everyone left took up a lot of time from my week, not taking into account the time I had to spend completing my assignments and doing my student-labor position.
  I knew that being a part of CAB was a time commitment, but I wanted to be able to help my fellow college mates enjoy their college experience. This was the job that I took because of enjoyment-based intrinsic motivation. Being an OSS developer is dedicating time outside of regular jobs, and completing adult errands. As an adult, or even as a college student I am worried about not having enough time to commit time to a project outside the window of my labor position, assignments, and trying to lifestyle balance. Not having enough time in the day would hinder my motivation, however, if I am intentionally blocking out some time during the week or even in a month I should be able to contribute and give back to OSS community.
  My experience with contributing to PreTex books thus far has been enjoyable. The setup in the beginning took a bit of time, but I am happy to have done it in class with my peers. I was able to ask for help when I got stuck. My experience with intrinsic motivation when it comes to contributing to the PreText book has been finding it fun and seeing the fron-end changes happen when I work with .ptx files. My extrinsic motivation is that I get an academic credit for CSC 426 OSS course at Berea College. Because my contribution to PreText books counts as me doing assignments, it has not been too difficult to dedicate time to contributing to OSS project. I usually dedicate a few hours every night to complete my assignments since that is the only free time I get after classes, work, eating, and working-out. Time blocking my day to doing my assignments has helped me ensure that I get my work done on time.