As a frequent open source maintainer and contributor, I’m often asked: where do you start? How do you approach a new project with the goal of making meaningful changes? How can you possibly understand the internals of a complex project?
These questions apply to any software project regardless of whether they are open source or proprietary, hobbyist or professional. The approach I take is the same in any case. However, a critical difference with professional work is that you have direct access to other engineers who are willing — if not obligated — to help you, whereas open source projects you’re mostly on your own.
Random 101 