So I've come to the point where I've wanted some to see some features on the software I regularly use and I feel confident enough that I can pull it off. However, once I start getting into it, it all becomes so overwhelming that it's hard to get anything done.
For instance, on more than one occasion I had trouble getting the projects to build on my machine (eg., unsupported OS, lack of documentation, etc.) and it left me unable to write a single line of code making the experience frustrating from all the time wasted that I had to move on.
Other times, I recognize some the patterns and get the general gist of some snippets, but the overall code seems so convoluted to me that I don't even know where to start to analyze a solution, even though if it'd probably take ten lines to implement.
For context, I've been more of a hobbyist programmer for the great majority of my life with a bit of schooling. I do have various finished apps under my belt so I'm definitely not new. But I have no reference for how long a feature should take to implement in someone else's code for the average Joe who does this for a living.
So I'm left wondering: What advice do you have that could make this all more accessible to someone like me? Do you have a general strategy to get started? How long does it take you from start to finish? And if you run into issues, where do you seek help without nagging the devs about their code who may take too long to respond to be of use?
Many thanks for the feedback in advance!
Depends on the project (and the maintainers), but have you reached out to the developers for assistance?
Touching a foreign codebase is always difficult, even for professional coders. I have found that it usually is a very hard slog for a few weeks or so, and then it will start to click in place. I think the only real shortcut is to ask for help and see if an existing dev can guide you through it.
Agree! And if the devs are responsible enough, not only should they guide you but also improve the existing documentation/wikis, because a build issue or a doubt about anything unclear that affects one person who speaks up can potentially be affecting a lot of other people who do not even dare to ask.