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Diffstat (limited to 'contributing.mdwn')
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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! |