I want to build open source projects with you.
Why building "real projects" isn't enough, and what I want to try instead.
If you’re a Programmer stuck with no ideas, this is the post for you!
As a programmer you’ve probably heard the following advice:
“Build real projects or contribute to open source”
It sounds great, but in practice, it often doesn’t work. Because so many programmers build a “real” project, and then it never gets used.
Or they try to get involved in open source projects, and their PR never even gets looked at.
So I think I’ve come up with a solution, and I hope you’re here for it.
The problem isn’t motivation or skill.
The problem is context.
People learn best when they’re:
working on something that actually ships into the real world
solving a problem they care about
and building with other people, not alone
The idea (that I hope you’ll love it) 🧠
Since launching F1 Race Replay, over 130 features and bug fixes have been contributed by developers from all over the world.
And the reason it worked wasn’t luck.
It worked because:
the project did something genuinely cool
it was themed around an interest people already cared about
and it was small enough that contributors could make a real impact
That experience changed how I think about building.
Let’s build something together! 🧑💻👩💻
So I want to try something.
I want to experiment with building open-source projects together, starting from day one.
Not as a Discord full of ideas, but as small, focused projects that actually ship.
This isn’t a course. It’s not a bootcamp. And it’s not about grinding for free.
It’s about building things that matter, with other builders.
Most people get involved in projects because of 2 reasons:
The topic/mission of the project interests them
The technologies that are being used are ones that they want to work with (and show other people that they can work with them)
I’ve built some cool projects that I’ve open-sourced before, so we could further develop some of these, or we could start from scratch?
To get this started, I’ve been thinking about a few problem spaces we could explore together.
We don’t have to work build in these categories though, this is just a starting point for ideas.
Categories we could look at 💡
1. Motorsport 🏎️
Perhaps a simulation tool? Or what about a sim racing pit wall? Think F1 Race Replay, but for Sim Racing (I’ve thought about this a lot, so we could definitely do this)
2. Developer Tools 💻
As developers, we’re perfectly positioned to build tools for other developers. We know what problems exist, and we have the ability to solve them. Whether it’s an extension for an IDE, a CLI tool, Database tool, etc, I’d love to know what we could do in this space.
3. Small Businesses 🛍️
Small businesses often struggle to find tools that are affordable and can meet their needs. I think every small business needs a bit of help, especially when it comes to the technical side of things.
Even though the project would be open-source, it could be a great opportunity for you and other developers to potentially earn some money helping these businesses to install the tool and start using it.
4. Local Software Tools 🗺️
Last year I had an idea which I never really actioned. It was called the “Manchester API”, a single API to give developers access to as much data as possible about things happening in the city that I live in.
Bus times, business listings, neighbourhood info, events, etc.
This API would be one a single trusted source for data across the city. Meaning that developers could easily build applications on top of the API, without having to worry too much about how to get the data.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this one…
How to get involved 🧑💻
You’re probably wondering, “Tom, what’s the point in this?”.
Part of what makes an open source project successful is the distribution it has and the ability to attract contributors. Without those two things (users and contributors), there isn’t much point in building an open source project.
So by doing this, my goal is to help programmers like you to get involved in projects that receive enough exposure that you can say “I’m a contributor to that project that everyone knows about”.
So what’s next? 👀
If you’re interested in getting involved, we need some ideas. I’m going to have a brainstorm, but I’d love to know what you’d like to build too! Hopefully then we can find some synergy between our ideas and build something that we’re all excited about!
What you can do to get started ⬇️
In the comments on this post, I want you to share one project idea you’d genuinely want to help build with other people.
Not a startup idea.
Not a massive platform.
Just a real problem you think is worth solving together.
Over the next week, I’ll look for patterns, overlap, and momentum… and then we’ll pick something and start building.
If this works, it won’t just be another Github repo… it’ll be a shared success story for everyone involved.
An open source LMS platform specifically for people who have been in market for years and have loads of experience but don't have a team, budget or learning design experience to build a course around it... Why it matters? Well as you all know job market is fluctuating, we have young people who knows all the latest and greatest technologies and trends but lack experience and seniors who are bored of their current work life, if we provide an easy way for those seniors to make money outside of cooperate day job and an easy way for those young professionals to get the bread and butter of the experience they need we will have a smooth and fast turnover that will more people get a job they actually like
a platform for sim racers to look at their previous races, either onboard or on a map, with the specific strategy they used so that they can find out which part of which strategy works for them. maybe a ML model to categorise a driver's driving style to recommend strategies on different tracks or weather?