> Some of the work being carried out and posted on the gcc-patches > mailing list makes those projects seem insignificant in comparision.
There's a wide range of ability in gcc developers, so there's a wide range of projects to work on. They all use the same *process* so starting with "trivial" projects is a good way to get used to the process, while helping with "unglamorous" projects. For example, I'm working my way through all the warning() calls, changing the default 0 parameter to something useful. There are thousands. Want an easy project? Pick *one* call to warning() that still passes 0, and make it pass something useful. You'll learn a lot about the process that way. If you're interested in a particular area of the compiler, pick a call to warning() in that area. The beginner projects are listed because the "big" changes going on are just too difficult for beginners to dive into. You need something that seems relatively insignificant because you have to start *somewhere* and those projects need to be done anyway, so it's a good fit. Just pick something that seems easiest to you, and do it.
