Reflection on My Open Source Contributions

Looking back at my open-source contributions, I have primarily focused on reporting issues, improving Wikipedia articles, and contributing to OpenStreetMap. While I haven’t yet made contributions involving writing code, I have actively engaged in identifying and fixing gaps in online resources.

Progress and Contributions

Most of my contributions involve improving accessibility and accuracy of information. For example, I uploaded missing book covers to a course website, fixed broken links, and reported issues on classmates’ blogs. On Wikipedia, I added missing license information, enriched architectural descriptions, and improved cooking method details for cultural topics. Additionally, on OpenStreetMap, I helped update missing locations, such as galleries and banks near my dorm.

Challenges

One major challenge I faced was editing Wikipedia, especially when I had to modify templates and formatting that involved working with Wikipedia’s markup language. Initially, I found it confusing to navigate and edit the structured code, but over time, I got more comfortable with it by referring to existing templates and documentation. Learning how Wikipedia enforces its formatting and citation rules was also a challenge, but it helped me improve my attention to detail.

Most Proud Contribution

Among my contributions, I am most proud of my Wikipedia edit on Hot Dry Noodles (热干面). This dish is special to me because it comes from my hometown, and I wanted to ensure that its cultural and culinary significance was accurately represented. I reviewed sources and rewrote the cooking method to make it more detailed and informative, ensuring that readers could better understand its preparation and importance. It was particularly rewarding to contribute knowledge about something personally meaningful to me and share it with a broader audience.

Future Goals

While my contributions so far have focused on reporting issues and editing content, I hope to start making code-based contributions in the future. Whether it’s fixing minor bugs, improving documentation, or contributing to open-source projects, I want to gradually expand my involvement in technical contributions.

Overall, engaging with open-source communities has helped me refine my ability to identify gaps, understand collaborative workflows, and improve my problem-solving skills. Moving forward, I aim to build on these experiences and take on more technically involved contributions.