If you want to contribute code, kindly look at the TODO list included in the sources (not that you can't hack on anything you want) and the defect reports which can be found at the GNOME bug tracking system.
Besides from coding, you can also help by submitting and triaging bugs, translating Straw in your native language, or help us write user documentation which we currently don't have yet. Writing good documentation is a good place to start if you're new to the open-source model of development.
If Straw is not yet translated into your native language, please feel free to translate the strings provided in the package. Translators are encouraged to cooperate with the GNOME Translation Project. If not, just file a bug to the GNOME Bugzilla above and we will forward it to the i18n team. Additional information can also be found at the Translation Project page. The README also contains hints and tips on how to use setup.py (distutils) to build and help you with the translations.
For more information and other queries:
You can follow the latest development code using Subversion. Just follow the steps in http://live.gnome.org/SVN and start hacking! The project module is straw. You can also browse the latest sources online using the viewcvs service provided by GNOME.
If you are familiar with distributed development and would rather develop using this model, we provide a Git repository located at http://repo.or.cz/w/straw.git. You can find on that page the location of the repository to clone, recent changes and branches that may be of interest to you. Kindly read the Git Documentation below for more info on how to use Git and developing with Git.
The Straw-Git repository has a branch called the mob branch. You can commit to this branch regardless whether you're part of the development team, straw user, or a bypasser just wanting to contribute code. You don't need Subversion or Git repository access to contribute and actually commit code! Just push it to the branch and we'll add your code if it's good and will improve the project.
For more information about the mob branch, please read http://repo.or.cz/mob.html