# How to Contribute to This Wiki

There are essentially three possibilities.  They are outlined below.


Some general hints; just as in software projects:

* Do independent changes *separately*: don't aggregate changes that don't
  belong together.
* Install your changes *early* and *often*: don't hold your contribution back
  until you think it is perfect.


If you are editing the source files from a git checkout you can nevertheless
have them get rendered to html pages:

	$ wiki/render_locally
	[...]
	scanning HowToContributeToThisWiki.mdwn
	rendering HowToContributeToThisWiki.mdwn
	
	Now open `wiki.rendered/index.html' to browse the wiki pages.


## Edit Via the Web Interface

When you found a page you want to work on, just follow the *Edit* link on the
top of the page.  When doing this for the first time, this will first transfer
you to a page where you have to create a wiki account.  After logging in, you
can edit the wiki pages.


## Do an Anonymous Checkout of the git Repository

*Not yet available.*

Check out the wiki.

	$ git clone git://flubber.bddebian.com/wiki [dest]

If you omit *[dest]* it will default to *wiki*.

Then you can work on these files.

	$ cd wiki/
	$ emacs Hurd/NextHurd.mdwn
	$ git commit Hurd/NextHurd.mdwn
	[...]
	$ emacs Hurd/DesignGoals.mdwn
	$ git commit Hurd/DesignGoals.mdwn
	[...]
	$ [...]

Prepare to publish your changes.

	$ git-format-patch -M -B origin
	0001-Be-a-bit-more-expressive.patch
	[...]

See through the prepared **.patch* files and simply delete those you don't want
to pulish.

Finally, publish the good ones.  If you have a local mail transfer agent
running, this is as simple follows.

	$ git-send-email --to web-hurd@gnu.org *.patch
	[...]

If you don't have an mta running, you'll have to find another way: either post
the **.patch* files to <web-hurd@gnu.org> or upload them somewhere for us to
download from.


## Do a Read-write Checkout of the git Repository

For being able to do that you need a
[[shell_account_on_*flubber*|Hurd/PublicHurdBoxen]].  (It's very much
recommenable that you set up your local *ssh* configuration as advised on that
page.)

Check out the wiki.

	$ git clone flubber:~wiki/wiki [dest]

If you omit *[dest]* it will default to *wiki*.

Then you can work on these files.

	$ cd wiki/
	$ emacs Hurd/NextHurd.mdwn
	$ git commit Hurd/NextHurd.mdwn
	[...]
	$ emacs Hurd/DesignGoals.mdwn
	$ git commit Hurd/DesignGoals.mdwn
	[...]
	$ [...]

Remember that at this stage your commits have only been installed into your
personal working copy.  So you finally explicitly have to install your changes
into the master repository.

	$ git push
	updating 'refs/heads/master'
	  from d83f93f34b69633ca1afb588001df7addd708faf
	  to   c0b8171de9c69e029bf998aafd4682105c217eb8
	Generating pack...
	[...]
	Updating web pages.  This may up to a few minutes at the utmost...