Merge branch 'master' of flubber:~hurd-web/hurd-web

1 files changed, 37 insertions, 13 deletions

diff --git a/contributing.mdwn b/contributing.mdwn
index 3a713520..01140927 100644
--- a/contributing.mdwn
+++ b/contributing.mdwn
@@ -6,14 +6,13 @@ id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
 document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
 Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license
-is included in the section entitled
-[[GNU Free Documentation License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
+is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation
+License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
 
-So, you are interested in contributing to the GNU Hurd project?
+So, you are interested in contributing to the GNU Hurd project?  Welcome!
+Every single contribution is very much encouraged.
 
-Welcome!  Every single contribution is very much encouraged!
-
-There are various ways of contributing, read on about contributing to...
+There are various ways to contribute; read on about contributing to...
 
 [[!toc levels=3]]
 
@@ -64,10 +63,12 @@ on the skills you have and the resources you intend to invest.
 
 Please spend some time with thinking about the items in this [[questionnaire]].
 
-Before you can significantly contribute, take some time to learn about the
-system, e.g., [[microkernels_for_beginners|microkernel/for_beginners]].  Until
-you can do the basic exercises listed there, you won't be able to significantly
-contribute to the Hurd.
+Before you can significantly contribute to the operating system itself, you'll
+need to take some time to learn about the system, for example:
+[[microkernels for beginners|microkernel/for_beginners]], [[Mach's
+concepts|microkernel/mach/concepts]], [[Hurd's concepts|hurd/concepts]], the
+*[[hurd/critique]]*.  Until you can understand and do the basic exercises
+listed there, you won't be able to significantly contribute to the Hurd.
 
 For more reading resources, please see these web pages, for example,
 [[Hurd_documentation|hurd/documentation]] and
@@ -104,9 +105,32 @@ itself is more a research project than a *sit down and implement/code/hack*
 project.
 
 If you're interested in contributing in this area, knowing the *Hurd on Mach*
-system nevertheless is a prerequisite.  At least have a deep look at the
-documentation pointers given in the previous section.  Also read through the
-[[HurdNG|hurd/ng]] section.
+system (see [[above|contributing#hurd_on_mach]]) nevertheless is a
+prerequisite.  At least have a deep look at the documentation pointers.  Also
+read through the [[HurdNG|hurd/ng]] section.
 
 Please send email to the [[mailing lists/l4-hurd]] mailing list for discussing
 this post-Mach system design.
+
+
+# Final Words -- Difficulties
+
+Please note that doing substantial contributions to a project as big and as
+encompassing as the GNU Hurd is not a trivial task.  For working on the GNU
+Hurd's inner guts and getting useful work done, you have to plan for a
+many-months learning experience which will need sufficient self-motivation.
+Working on an advanced operating system kernel isn't something you can do in a
+few free minutes -- even less so without any previous [[kernel]] hacking
+experience.
+
+Likewise, the Linux kernel maintainers are stating the exactly same
+difficulties, which is well presented by Jonathan Corbet in his 2010 Linux
+Kernel Summit report for the opening sessions about [*welcoming of
+newcomers*](http://lwn.net/Articles/412639/).
+
+But of course, none of this is meant to be dismissive, or to scare you away --
+on the contrary: just [[start
+using|hurd/running]] the GNU Hurd, and either notice yourself what's not
+working as expected, or have a look at one of the [[Open Issues]], and we shall
+see if you'll evolve to be the next core Hurd hacker!
+You'll *just* have to get excited about it!