From 0753490b37583f55f0eb7af0faa5ba329d6fd1d4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lars Wirzenius Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2016 14:23:49 +0200 Subject: Start chapter on contributing to project --- manual/en/700-contrib.mdwn | 52 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 52 insertions(+) create mode 100644 manual/en/700-contrib.mdwn (limited to 'manual') diff --git a/manual/en/700-contrib.mdwn b/manual/en/700-contrib.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..dde0db8a --- /dev/null +++ b/manual/en/700-contrib.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,52 @@ +Participating in Obnam development +================================== + +The Obnam project is quite small, as far as software projects go. +There is one main developer, plus a few others who sometimes help out. +It would be nice to have more people involved, and this chapter is an +introduction for that. + +It is a common misunderstanding that only code matters in a software +project. On the contrary, without a number of other things, code is +useless, particularly so in a free software project, including Obnam. +Examples of necessary things in almost any serious software project: + +* writing and updating documentation, which includes manuals and + websites +* translating documentation, and the software's user interface +* providing support to users with questions or problems +* reporting actionable bugs +* processing bug reports: asking for clarifications, reproducing the + reported problem, finding the cause of the problem, and developing a + suitable fix +* porting the software to various platforms, including different + operating systems, different versions of said operating systems, + different versions of the languages and libraries the software uses, + different hardware, etc +* quality assurance: developing and performing manual and automated + tests and benchmarks, and analysing results +* hosting and operating web sites, mailing lists, IRC channels, other + communication channels +* handling project governance, which includes dealing with conflicts + between people +* managing the project in general, including making sure things don't + stall +* finally, writing the code itself, which is a necessary, but not + sufficient part of having a project that people other than the + developers can use it + +This list is insufficient; additions are welcome. See the rest of this +chapter for suggestions on how to contribute to the list. + + +Helping support users +--------------------- + +Writing and updating documentation +---------------------------------- + +Developing the code +------------------- + +Project governance +------------------ -- cgit v1.2.1