For my part, I enjoy the wide and varied number activities and projects that don’t rely on any one source or person. Always in the past, my efforts hit a wall when someone or something didn't move forward, but here I can find 100s of different ventures.
General
- Talk about freeware - what programs you're using and why, how you solved a specific problem at home or at work, or what free software is just fun to use. If you're not sure the program is portable, you can still post to our non-portable forum. If a tool gains a lot of interest, it's easier to make a case for either reaching out to the developer or creating a wrapper program.
- Freeware First - even if you have access to commercial software, try to see if a task can be completed with free options. If you succeed (or fail), post to the site with methods used. Both developers and users want to know how good freeware is getting used. In almost every case, I've managed to find at least one or two tools that don't exist in my commercial program. You can post about your experiences in the official program topic or in Portable Freeware Discussions.
- Ask for portable - help us contact developers of any program in the non-portable thread and ask the dev for a portable version. Some devs like use cases but that's just way to communicate with devs about why portable is important.
Site-specific
- Catch site bugs - let us know about broken websites, broken web links, outdated screenshots, etc.
- Improve entries - we can always use better program descriptions, screenshots / animated slideshows, or entry descriptions. Is it in the correct category? Does it put the most important features first? (More on how to write an entry.)
- Submit programs to the database - anyone can add an entry and there are a great many tested programs in the Submissions sub-forum that are waiting for an entry. We have a submission process and recommended tools.
Outside TPFC
Our site is far from the only place to help out with freeware and portability...
- Individual projects - There are a hundred different tools available for testing and collaboration on Github, BitBucket, Gitlab, and many other sites. Just find a project you like and ask the developer what work needs to be done. You can send issues with the program, write up a wish list, or just say how the program made your life better.
- Donate - If you don’t have time but do have money and want to say thanks, 9 out of 10 tools on the site have some way to say thanks via PayPal or similar methods. A little cash can go a long way to showing developers their effort is appreciated.
Related:
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Edit note: On Sept 2020, Updated with more suggestions, some categories, better wording.