Home Contributing to Open Source - The Mastodon Ice Cubes App
Post
Cancel

Contributing to Open Source - The Mastodon Ice Cubes App

Open your mind about open source contributions. It can take many shapes..and sounds. Syndication

Open source contributions aren’t always code. The creator of the Mastodon client Ice Cubes put out a call for a custom notification sound and just happened to see it on a rainy weekend morning, so decided to play around a bit.

I grabbed my phone and got to work. Took a few tries to find the perfect CLINK of the glass. It was a partially filled whiskey glass with two pieces of ice being dropped in, to be exact.

The sound needed editing, so I brought it into Audacity and made a few tweaks. Slowed it down, played with the pitch.

I presented a few options and forgot about it for awhile. With so many other features going in constantly, I wasn’t surprised and honestly didn’t know if it would ever make it into the app.

Notification Sound Option 1
Notification Sound Option 2
Notification Sound Option 3

Today I woke up to a surprise - the first sound option made it into the latest build!

Don’t be afraid to participate - there are so many ways to be a part of something.

  • Do you speak multiple languages? Contribute translations so the app can be enjoyed across the globe.
  • Are you an artist? Create graphics for a marketing site or within the app.
  • Update documentation - do you see a spelling mistake or some holes in a repository’s documentation? Fix it!
  • Provide feedback or report issues - you don’t have to fix them - just find them and provide a report so they can be worked!
  • Help out by spreading the word about a great project, answering questions you may see about it on social media.
  • Donate money - most open source projects need funding to continue their work. Find their preferred contribution route (make sure it’s authentic) and pitch in what you can.
  • And the obvious - write some code.

A big fear you have to get over is the initial jump into the waters. I suggest finding a welcoming community, watch for a bit, and then dip your toe into a small project.

What a great feeling to have something you built purely for fun in a creative moment being incorporated into something bigger. That’s what open source is all about, in my opinion, and I’m excited to continue contributing where I can.

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.

SharePoint Administration - Maintain your sanity

Spoutible - Initial Thoughts

Comments

Total Interactions: 64
40 Likes 0 Links 0 Posts 19 Re-posts 0 Bookmarks 5 Replies

Likes


Posts, Re-Posts and Bookmarks


Replies

  1. @box464 @elk @icecubesapp Yes! I was messing around one night with an icon idea, and it was literally in the app (and on my Home Screen) less than a day later. Love the spirit behind this app.

  2. @jackjohnbrown Agreed! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great icon. Gives me 90s vibes for some reason …. in a good way! Probably the pastels.