Macports patch
This is a minor item but I'm proud of it. Part of my research support is to advance vision algorithms like my work on locally-linear structures, for example the trail finding algorithm that Scott Morris, Kobus Barnard and I have developed. This algorithm is, we believe, widely applicable to stringy-looking things (in the absence of tip growth), and one domain we've looked to cross into is that of neuron phenotyping. So the IVI lab has a bit of collaboration with the Restifo Lab in the Department of Neuroscience. We've developed image-inference software for them before, and we still provide a bit of support.
Recently they've decided they would like to run their custom software themselves. As I've said before, we research people often (unintentionally) make that somewhat difficult: we run our own code, so we know just how it has to be configured and run. In this case, the configuration was the snag: they want to run on a Macintosh (I hear that's a popular brand nowadays). Our code for them required Gnuplot, and specifically an older output option for Gnuplot. Well, you can't get that option on a Macintosh.
You can't -- until now! Although I had little experience developing software on a Mac, I found out about Macports, which is a framework for installing things like Gnuplot on Macintosh, and I learned enough to modify the Gnuplot port, stuff in the missing option and get it working. Furthermore, I submitted a patch and ticket to Macports.org. Six days ago my patch was incorporated into the trunk Portfile. So, this little support request has the wider consequence of advancing (in a small way) the evolution of Macintosh open-source software.