They also serve who stand and debug open-source software. In this imperfect world, we will inevitably spend most of
our software development time in the debugging phase. That's why any open-source author who's thinking will tell you
that good beta-testers (who know how to describe symptoms clearly, localize problems well, can tolerate bugs in a
quickie release, and are willing to apply a few simple diagnostic routines) are worth their weight in rubies. Even one of
these can make the difference between a debugging phase that's a protracted, exhausting nightmare and one that's
merely a salutary nuisance.
If you're a newbie, try to find a program under development that you're interested in and be a good beta-tester. There's
a natural progression from helping test programs to helping debug them to helping modify them. You'll learn a lot this
way, and generate good karma with people who will help you later on.
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