The site is running Apache on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, and it looks like Drupal running on PHP. What more do you want?

You don't need to ask anyone permission, just show up and start helping out. If you check out the source code to the Apache HTTP Server (find out how at http://httpd.apache.org/dev/devnotes.html), you'll find 50 instances of the word "FIXME" in the source code (case insensitive search). Check out what the original author thought still needs fixing, and post a patch to dev@httpd.apache.org. Alternatively, you can look in the bug database and start picking low hanging fruit. Again, no permission needed. If your patches are good, they'll get committed. If they aren't, we'll tell you how you can improve.

You will find that every project has its own coding conventions, macros, libraries and idiosynchrasies. Real code will look very different from the examples and exercises you have worked with so far. You'll have to learn the particulars and become comfortable with each project you take on. This is a tedious and uncomfortable process, but it does tend to pay off.

I've never even SEEN a basement (Australia). Anybody know why they're common in some areas but not others?

Never been to Coober Pedy?

You're taking their money, right? In that case, bend over and take it like a r0nc0.

Perhaps Saturday Night Live should consider this approach.

You can't "buy" a membership in the Apache Software Foundation, and corporations cannot become members. As has been blogged elsewhere, El Reg has its terminology wrong on this one.

Microsoft has agreed to a platinum level sponsorship of the Apache Software Foundation. If you browse to the page, you'll see that the benefits of sponsoring, even at that level, consist of a logo and a press release.

You can't buy a membership in the ASF. The only way to influence the ASF is to show up and talk code. Anyone can join the mailinglists and start contributing patches, and everyone who contributes a substantial amount of code signs a license agreement to clear the IP. If folks contribute code of consistent quality, they become committers. As they show their interest in the project surpasses their day to day circumstances (like affiliation), they are invited to the Project Management Committee. Show that you have the interests of the foundation at heart, and you'll likely be invited to become a member and get to vote in board elections. That's how it works. Membership can be earned, but not bought.

-- Sander Temme - Member, Apache Software Foundation