org-mode/README_contribute

  -*- mode: org; fill-column:65 -*-

This is the GIT repository for the development of Org-mode, an
Emacs mode for organizing your life.

The text below explains the rules for participating in Org-mode
development.

* Main rules

1. The master git repository is hosted publicly at orgmode.org.
   Anyone can get a clone of the current repository state using
   the command

     git clone git://orgmode.org/org-mode.git

   Having a clone is sufficient to start hacking and to produce
   patches that can easily and consistently be applied to the
   main repository.

2. There is a mirror hosted publicly at repo.or.cz.  Anyone can
   get a clone of the current repository state using the command

     git clone git://repo.or.cz/org-mode.git

3. People who are interested to participate in the Org-mode
   development can to so by sending patches to this address:

     [[mailto:emacs-orgmode@gnu.org][emacs-orgmode@gnu.org]]

4. An interested developer can also request push access to the
   central repository by sending her/his user-info to the
   maintainer of Org-mode or the webmaster of orgmode.org.

   After you have been added as a user with push privileges,
   clone the repository through ssh using

     git clone orgmode@orgmode.org:org-mode.git

   By requesting push access, you acknowledge that you have read
   and agreed with the following rules:

   - Org-mode is part of GNU Emacs.  Therefore, we need to be
     very conscious about changes moving into the Org-mode core.
     These can originate only from people who have signed the
     appropriate papers with the Free Software Foundation.  The
     files to which this applies are:

     - all *.el files in the lisp directory of the repository
     - org.texi, orgcard.tex in the doc directory
     - the corresponding ChangeLog files

   - Before making any significant changes, please explain and
     discuss them on the mailing list emacs-orgmode@gnu.org.

     This does obviously not apply to people who are maintaining
     their own contributions to Org-mode.  Please, just use the
     new mechanism to make sure all changes end up in the right
     place.

   - Creating and pushing a change to the Org-mode core requires
     you also to provide ChangeLog entries.  Just press `C-x 4 a'
     in each function or variable you have modified and describe
     the change you made in the ChangeLog buffer/file.

   - Among other things, Org-mode is widely appreciated because
     of its simplicity, cleanness and consistency.  We should try
     hard to preserve this and I would like to ask everyone to
     keep this in mind when developing changes.

* The contrib directory

The git repository contains a contrib directory.  This directory
is the playing field for any developer, also people who have not
(yet) signed the papers with the FSF.  You are free to add files
to this directory, implementing extensions, new link types etc.
Also non-Lisp extensions like scripts to process Org-mode files
in different ways are welcome in this directory.  You should
provide documentation with your extensions, at least in the form
of commentary in the file, better on worg.  Please discuss your
extensions on [[mailto:emacs-orgmode@gnu.org][emacs-orgmode@gnu.org]].

After files have been tested in contrib and found to be generally
useful, we may decide to clarify copyright questions and then
move the file into the Org-mode core.  This means they will be
moved up to the root directory and will also eventually be added
to GNU Emacs bzr repository.  The final decision about this rests
with the maintainer.