Open Source Hong Kong

Date: 14 Jul 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 19:00
Language: English
Venue: TBC

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to PostgreSQL Hacking: Don’t Panic, Just Start Small - Xuneng Zhou (HighGo Company)
Hacking on PostgreSQL can feel overwhelming: a massive codebase, a rigorous review culture, and a patch queue that never seems to shrink. Many aspiring contributors ask the same questions: Where do I begin? What should I work on?

This talk offers a practical roadmap for entering PostgreSQL development. Rather than starting with large features or ambitious rewrites, we focus on a disciplined approach: reviewing patches, fixing small bugs, testing edge cases, and building intuition for the codebase.

We explore how small improvements—clarifying a review comment, or isolating a bug—compound into deeper understanding and meaningful contributions. We will also discuss the psychological side of hacking: navigating imposter syndrome, learning from reviews, and turning feedback into momentum.

PostgreSQL is not conquered in a single patch. It is learned incrementally. This talk demonstrates how sustained, focused effort transforms confusion into contribution.

What Attendees Will Learn

How to choose a first patch
How patch review builds architectural understanding
How small changes lead to larger infrastructure work
How to navigate PostgreSQL’s review culture effectively
How to turn feedback into growth instead of frustration

中文版

PostgreSQL貢獻指南：別慌，從小處著手
對於新人而言，參與PostgreSQL貢獻常常讓人感到無從著手：龐大的程式碼庫、嚴格的審查文化，以及大量待審查的補丁。許多有志貢獻的開發者都會問同樣的問題：我該從哪裡開始？應該做什麼？
本次演講著力為參與PostgreSQL貢獻提供一份可實作的指南。我們不從大型功能或雄心勃勃的重構入手，而是採用一種循序漸進的方法：審查補丁、修復小bug、測試邊界情況，進而逐步建立對程式碼庫的理解與認知。
我們將探討微小的改進——例如澄清一條審查意見，或定位一個bug—— 如何累積成更深入的理解和有意義的貢獻。同時，我們也會幫助新人貢獻者進行「心理建構」：如何建立自信，、如何從程式碼審查中學習、如何將社群回饋轉化為動力。
精通PostgreSQL需要持續專注的投入。期望透過一個補丁就掌握它，並不現實——但正是這些看似微小的補丁，能一點點消解困惑，為長期的深度貢獻奠定基礎。
透過本演講，聽眾將學到：
- 如何選擇第一個補丁
- 修補程式檢視如何建構對架構和系統的認知
- 小改動如何演變成更大的基礎建設工作
- 如何有效適應PostgreSQL的審查文化
- 如何將回饋轉化為成長，而非挫折感

See you there! 👋