[GSoC update] Final report: Some observations

Hi,

I've been involved with the Git community since January 2010.  Apart
from tiny miscellaneous patches, I spent two summers as a GSoC student
writing more chunky portions.  I'll write down some of my personal
observations here; it's nothing new, but I hope the community can
benefit from learning what a (relatively) new contributor observes.
Classifying them as "positive" or "negative" attributes makes little
sense in my opinion.
1. I really like the Git and the community.  It's a great piece of
software, and the community makes sure that it stays that way.  As a
result, it arguably has a high entry barrier.
2. It's an exponential climb for a contributor.  Looking back, I can
find issues with the first few patches that I contributed, but reviews
weren't as stringent.  It also has to do with the parts of Git I've
tried to contribute to- I slowly went from writing tiny documentation
patches to large features.
3. Excellent timely reviews.  If there's one reason I stayed around
despite all the difficulties, this has to be it.  I don't know any
faster way to improve as a software engineer.
4. Language is beautiful and entertaining! People make use of their
language skills to write interesting reviews and commit messages, not
choppy dry ones.
5. High transparency.  It looks like almost everything is on-list.
6. Largely impersonal.  Although there are exceptions, people
generally don't talk about their personal lives; some people don't use
their real names.

Personally, I feel a little guilty because I feel that I've gained more than I've given back. I'll try to make up for this over the coming months and years.

Thanks.

-- Ram