X-Git-Url: http://wien.tomnetworks.com/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=web%2Fcontributing;h=0a80bcb91b15ee03bd245c0308448981bb5bc9b0;hb=d4574047f809c4295c77cc25b115b318b4ff996e;hp=5bec9cefda558cf6b93e8a442ecc3a32e283d491;hpb=132a85430bc363e9886019a8b1ad84a3dee50760;p=mono.git

diff --git a/web/contributing b/web/contributing
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--- a/web/contributing
+++ b/web/contributing
@@ -1,18 +1,51 @@
 * Contributing to the Mono project
 
-	There are many ways in which you can help in the Mono project:
-
-	<ul>
-		* <b>Programmers:</b> You can work on a free
-		  implementation of the <a
-		  href="class-library.html">class libraries</a>, the
-		  <a href="runtime.html">runtime engine</a>, <a
-		  href="tools.html">the tools</a>, the <a
-		  href="testing.html">testing framework</a>
-
-		* <b>Writers:</b> You can help us bywriting <a
-		  href="documentation.html">documentation</a>.
-	</ul>
+	Mono has not been completed yet.  It is a project under
+	active development and with a vibrant community.  If you are
+	looking at ways of helping the project, you have come to the
+	right web page. 
+
+	There are three different philosophical approaches to helping
+	the Mono project, the selfish way, the altruistic or the
+	educational way.
+
+	The <b>selfish</b> way is packed with adventure.  You start by
+	building your own software, and start using the compiler and
+	tools that come with Mono.  Eventually you will run into
+	missing features, or a bug in the software.  Since we ship all
+	the source code for Mono, you can start tracking down the
+	problem.  Depending on how much time you have to devote to the
+	problem you could: <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">File a
+	bug report</a> (read <a href="#goodbugreport">this</a>); track
+	down the problem and provide a better
+	<a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">bug report</a>;  fix the
+	bug and provide a patch (you can <a
+	href="mailto:mono-list@ximian.com">post it</a> to the <a
+	href="http://lists.ximian.com/mailman/listinfo/mono-list">mono
+	mailing list</a>;  or discuss the solution on the mailing
+	list.   Ideally you will also write a <a
+	href="testing.html">regression test</a> so the bug does not
+	get re-introduced in the future. 
+
+	The <b>altruistic</b> is probably the easiest because you get
+	to pick a piece of Mono that you might want to work on.  You
+	can pick an unfinished <a href="class-library.html">class</a> (from our <a
+	href="class-status.html">class status page</a>); help with the
+	<a href="documentation.html">documentation effort</a> (<a
+	href="http://lists.ximian.com/mailman/listinfo/mono-docs-list">mailing
+	list for the documentation effort</a>); fix existing <a
+	href=http://bugzilla.ximian.com/buglist.cgi?product=Mono%2FClass+Libraries&product=Mono%2FRuntime&component=CORLIB&component=misc&component=System&component=System.Web&component=System.XML&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&email1=&emailtype1=substring&emailassigned_to1=1&email2=&emailtype2=substring&emailreporter2=1&changedin=&chfieldfrom=&chfieldto=Now&chfieldvalue=&short_desc=&short_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&long_desc_type=substring&bug_file_loc=&bug_file_loc_type=substring&keywords=&keywords_type=anywords&op_sys_details=&op_sys_details_type=substring&version_details=&version_details_type=substring&cmdtype=doit&newqueryname=&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&form_name=query">runtime
+	bugs</a>; <a
+	href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com/buglist.cgi?product=Mono%2FMCS&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&email1=&emailtype1=substring&emailassigned_to1=1&email2=&emailtype2=substring&emailreporter2=1&changedin=&chfieldfrom=&chfieldto=Now&chfieldvalue=&short_desc=&short_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&long_desc_type=substring&bug_file_loc=&bug_file_loc_type=substring&keywords=&keywords_type=anywords&op_sys_details=&op_sys_details_type=substring&version_details=&version_details_type=substring&cmdtype=doit&newqueryname=&order=Reuse+same+sort+as+last+time&form_name=query">compiler
+	bugs</a>; help with the <a href="tools.html">tools</a> or
+	writing <a href="testing.html">tests</a> that help make Mono
+	more robust or help with the <a
+	href="http://www.go-mono.com/winforms.html">Winforms
+	effort</a>.
+
+	The <b>educational</b> way is an interesting one, because you
+	pick a technology you are interested in, and work on that
+	technology to learn the technology.  
 
 	Those are just broad things that need to be worked on, but
 	something that would help tremendously would be to help with
@@ -20,6 +53,11 @@
 
 	You can see what needs to be done in the class libraries <a href="class-status.html">here</a>
 
+* IRC Channel
+
+	Many developers get together on the <b>#mono</b> irc channel
+	on the <b>irc.gnome.org</b> server.  
+
 ** To start contributing
 
 	As a programmer, you can contribute in three different scenarios to Mono:
@@ -61,7 +99,8 @@
 	world that only has a test suite.  
 	
 	To get started writing tests see the <a href="testing.html">Test Suite</a>
-	section.
+	section. <a href="mono-contribution-howto.html">Here</a> there is a good All-In-One introduction to the art of writing tests.
+
 
 *** Contributing to the runtime engine
 
@@ -89,6 +128,53 @@
 
 	You can review the list of current bugs by going <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com/buglist.cgi?product=Mono%2FClass+Libraries&product=Mono%2FMCS&product=Mono%2FRuntime&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=REOPENED&email1=&emailtype1=substring&emailassigned_to1=1&email2=&emailtype2=substring&emailreporter2=1&changedin=&chfieldfrom=&chfieldto=Now&chfieldvalue=&short_desc=&short_desc_type=substring&long_desc=&long_desc_type=substring&bug_file_loc=&bug_file_loc_type=substring&keywords=&keywords_type=anywords&op_sys_details=&op_sys_details_type=substring&version_details=&version_details_type=substring&cmdtype=doit&order=%27Importance%27&form_name=query">here</a>
 
+	Check our <a href="bugs.html">Bugs</a> that contains links to
+	easily add a bug report, or to query the existing bugs.
+
+<a name="goodbugreport"/>
+** How to make good bug reports
+
+	A mail from Paolo to mono-devel-list contained this check list:
+	<ol>
+		* Submit a test case, the smaller it is, the better
+
+		* Use <a href="http://bugzilla.ximian.com">
+		http://bugzilla.ximian.com</a> to report the bug.
+		
+		<p>In <b>addition</b> to bugzilla, posting to the list is
+		fine if the bug merits larger exposure or design
+		discussions to solve; posting to the list twice or more
+		is just a way to annoy people and make them waste time,
+		specially when you start a new thread about it.
+
+		* If the test involves libraries or assemblies that are
+		not part of mono, add info about where to download all
+		the dependencies, and how to compile/install them.
+
+		* If compiling the test case requires more than:
+		<pre> mcs test.cs </pre>
+		provide the <b>full command line</b> you used to compile
+		the test.
+
+		* If running the test requires more than:
+		<pre> mono test.exe </pre>
+		provide the <b>full command line</b> needed to replicate
+		the bug.
+
+		* Provide info about the version of the software you're
+		using (both mono and the operating system or relevant
+		libraries).
+
+		* Provide the output you expect the test case to produce.
+		
+		* Provide the actual output <b>you</b> get from the test case.
+	</ol>
+
+	A good bug report complies with at least 6 items from the list.
+	If your bug report complies with 3 or less items, it is very
+	poor and it means it will take much more time to fix (when it's
+	not ignored).
+
 ** Small tasks
 
 	A few smaller tasks are here, dropped in no particular order: