I'm an electronics engineering graduate interested in embedded systems. I use Fedora and know some C, C++, and Python, but I'm not sure where to find beginner-friendly problems. Are drivers a reasonable place to start?
Where can I start contributing to open source on Fedora?
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almost.unstapled
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Drivers can be a good fit for your interests, but they aren't necessarily the easiest first contribution. Pick a piece of hardware you have and look at the Linux driver for it. Try to understand how the driver is organized and how it talks to the device before looking for a change.
Start by reading the kernel's contribution documentation and checking whether the driver has a maintainer or an active discussion area. A small documentation fix or a clearly reproducible bug report can be a useful first step while you learn the workflow.
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You don't have to start with the kernel. Look for an open source tool you already use on Fedora, then browse its issue tracker for beginner-friendly tasks. Python tools might let you get comfortable with the contribution process before tackling lower-level code.
Read the project's contribution guide, try to run its tests, and ask on an issue whether the proposed fix is still wanted before spending a lot of time on it.
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Code isn't the only way in. Documentation, reporting bugs, and testing fixes are useful contributions too. You could start with something that confused you while setting up or using a tool, then suggest a clearer explanation.
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o315!clkroute_6:
Be careful testing changes to a driver your machine depends on. A backup and a safe way to boot a working kernel are worth having first.