this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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Hello,

I have been thinking about making the jump towards Open Source, not just using OSS but also contributing to it.

First, some OSS projects/apps I know of are Peertube, Lemmy (right now using Voyager app), Mastodon, Matrix (used to use the Element app, gave up because I realized it was too hard for those around me who got used to Whatsapp), OpenStreetMap (through OrganicMaps), Jellyfin, and Actual Budget, Godot Engine, Luanti, GrapheneOS... I might know more, but those are the ones I remember right now.

Second, I have some basic experience with programming (mainly Java [haven't learnt GUI yet tho], SQL, and C# for Unity videogames), but no experience entering an already created codebase yet, let alone making changes and sending them (and I admit I might need to get some practice with Git), so it is pretty intimidating. Do you have any advice about it?

Third, I'd like to hear about projects you find interesting or useful. Not neccesarily to contribute or even use them myself, but I'm interested in which other projects there are out there.

Edit: Thank you for the responses, what I got was basically find OSS to replace not-OSS I currently use, and contribute either fixing issues myself, helping with other stuff (making issues, writting or translating documentation, helping newer users), or giving feedback on the project.

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[โ€“] TheCornCollector@piefed.zip 14 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

You can also contribute to OpenStreetMap in your area using simple apps like StreetComplete or EveryDoor. This has a way lower barrier to entry than contributing code in my opinion. And it has the immediate benefit of a better local map for a LOT of services that are built on top of OSM.

[โ€“] TotallyWorthLife@lemmy.world 2 points 13 hours ago

Thank you! Got StreetComplete now and started contributing through it on my way home :b