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www/volunteers .symlinks volunteers.html howto-...
|
From: |
Karl Berry |
|
Subject: |
www/volunteers .symlinks volunteers.html howto-... |
|
Date: |
Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:57:12 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Karl Berry <karl> 11/08/23 21:57:12
Modified files:
volunteers : .symlinks
Added files:
volunteers : volunteers.html
Removed files:
volunteers : howto-volunteer.html
Log message:
redirect to /help/help.html, where "how to help" info is maintained for
these last several years
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/volunteers/.symlinks?cvsroot=www&r1=1.1&r2=1.2
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/volunteers/volunteers.html?cvsroot=www&rev=1.1
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/volunteers/howto-volunteer.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.8&r2=0
Patches:
Index: .symlinks
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/volunteers/.symlinks,v
retrieving revision 1.1
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -u -b -r1.1 -r1.2
--- .symlinks 17 Feb 2003 21:53:28 -0000 1.1
+++ .symlinks 23 Aug 2011 21:57:06 -0000 1.2
@@ -1 +1 @@
-howto-volunteer.html index.html
+volunteers.html index.html
Index: volunteers.html
===================================================================
RCS file: volunteers.html
diff -N volunteers.html
--- /dev/null 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ volunteers.html 23 Aug 2011 21:57:06 -0000 1.1
@@ -0,0 +1,499 @@
+<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=/help/help.html">
+
+<!--
+(this is the old content of howto-volunteer.html, left here just for
+your reading pleasure. --karl, 23aug11.)
+
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
+
+<html>
+<head>
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
+ "text/html; charset=us-ascii">
+
+ <title>How to Help the GNU Project</title>
+ <meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.60.1">
+ <meta name="keywords" content="GNU, volunteer, HOWTO">
+</head>
+
+<body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084"
+alink="#0000FF">
+ <div class="article" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h1 class="title"><a name="N0x886c438.0x918cbc4" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918cbc4"></a>How to Help the GNU
+ Project</h1>
+ </div>
+
+ <div>
+ <div class="author">
+ <h3 class="author"><span xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
+ "surname">The GNU Volunteer Coordinators</span></h3>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <div>
+ <div class="legalnotice">
+ <p>This document can be freely translated and
+ distributed. It's released under the GNU Free
+ Documentation License (FDL).</p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <div>
+ <div class="revhistory">
+ <table border="1" width="100%" summary=
+ "Revision history">
+ <tr>
+ <th align="left" valign="top" colspan="3">
+ <b>Revision History</b></th>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left">Revision 1.2</td>
+
+ <td align="left">2003-04-26</td>
+
+ <td align="left">hgayosso via toby</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left" colspan="3">Hugo sanded down some
+ rough edges.</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left">Revision 1.1</td>
+
+ <td align="left">2003-01-20</td>
+
+ <td align="left">hgayosso via toby</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left" colspan="3">GVC emeritus Hugo
+ Gayosso made many good comments.</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left">Revision 1.0</td>
+
+ <td align="left">2003-01-11</td>
+
+ <td align="left">toby</td>
+ </tr>
+
+ <tr>
+ <td align="left" colspan="3">A journey of a mile or
+ two begins with a single step.</td>
+ </tr>
+ </table>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ <hr>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="toc">
+ <p><b>Table of Contents</b></p>
+
+ <dl>
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d03c">Introduction</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d0ec">Background</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d2fc">Learn About
+ GNU</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d3ac">Decide What To
+ Do</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d698">Find Something To Work
+ On</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d984">Get Involved</a></dt>
+
+ <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918da34">We're Here to
+ Help</a></dt>
+ </dl>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d03c" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d03c"></a>Introduction</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>On behalf of the GNU Project Volunteer Coordinators,
+ <span xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
+ "emphasis"><em>thank you</em></span> for your interest in
+ helping GNU! The GNU Volunteer Coordinators' job is to help
+ advance the cause of Free Software by helping GNU volunteers.
+ We want you to find an interesting, challenging and fun way
+ to contribute because then you'll be more likely to make a
+ long-term commitment to GNU. Getting started can be difficult
+ so we wrote this document to help you determine the best way
+ for you to help GNU.</p>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d0ec" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d0ec"></a>Background</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>The GNU Project (<a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common";
+ xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/"; target=
+ "_top">http://www.gnu.org/</a>) writes, distributes, and
+ promotes free software. The "free" in free software refers to
+ liberty, not price: the freedom to use, modify, share, and
+ improve the software. Free Software has many practical
+ advantages over proprietary software but those are secondary
+ benefits: GNU's rationale is <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/"; target=
+ "_top">ethical</a>, not practical. Free Software is
+ <span xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
+ "emphasis"><em>better</em></span> than proprietary software
+ for the same reasons that freedom is <span xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
+ "emphasis"><em>better</em></span> than tyranny.</p>
+
+ <p><a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.stallman.org/"; target="_top">Richard
+ Stallman</a> launched the GNU Project in <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html";
+ target="_top">1983</a> to develop a complete Unix-like
+ operating system which is free software: the GNU system. (GNU
+ is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix"; it is pronounced
+ "guh-NEW".) In the years since the project began it has
+ built, maintained and distributed some of the most important
+ programs in use today: the GNU Compiler Collection (known as
+ GCC), the GNU Debugger (known as GDB), the GNU C library, and
+ the EMACS editor, among others. Along the way the project's
+ scope grew and now GNU is much more than just a computer
+ operating system: you can use GNU software to make telephone
+ calls, design electronic circuits, write music, play chess,
+ and many other things. There is currently no GNU software
+ that can make toast, but that will likely change someday.</p>
+
+ <p>The GNU Project is loosely organized, more like a republic
+ than a monarchy. <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common";
+ xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.stallman.org/"; target="_top">Richard
+ Stallman</a> is the project leader. Projects can choose to
+ become GNU projects if they share the core GNU values, agree
+ to follow the GNU standards, and fit into the GNU system. You
+ can help GNU in many ways, but as a rule of thumb if you're
+ helping the cause of Free Software then you're helping
+ GNU.</p>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d2fc" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d2fc"></a>Learn About GNU</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>As we discussed in the introduction, the GNU project's
+ motivation is ethical rather than practical. We believe that
+ Free Software benefits society by preserving the freedoms of
+ those who use it. Many people aren't as concerned about these
+ issues and worry more about what's expedient for them. Often
+ those people get frustrated when we hold to our principles
+ rather than compromising them. That's why it's important that
+ you take the time to learn about our beliefs (see our
+ <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/"; target=
+ "_top">philosophy page</a>) and decide which of them you
+ agree with. We're confident that once you learn about the
+ solid ethical foundation that the GNU project rests on you'll
+ want to help.</p>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d3ac" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d3ac"></a>Decide What To Do</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>If you've learned about GNU and Free Software and would
+ like to help us then the next question is: what would you
+ like to do? You can help GNU in many ways; we need people to
+ write documents such as books, reference guides and online
+ info, we also need people to write software, do research, and
+ many other tasks. Because of all of the different tasks at
+ hand we are sure that you have skills that can help the GNU
+ Project; you don't have to be an experienced software
+ developer to help us. What skills and experience do you have?
+ Do you have experience writing large and complex technical
+ documents? Do you speak several human languages? Do you have
+ a unique skill? Have you been a Unix hacker for 20 years or
+ are you just learning? Obviously the answers to these
+ questions will determine the sorts of jobs that you'll want
+ to attempt to do. For example, if you've never written any
+ documentation then you probably don't want to attempt to
+ write a C++ STL tutorial or reference. If you have little
+ mathematical expertise then you probably won't want to work
+ on a statistical analysis package.</p>
+
+ <p>There are many ways to help GNU. As Fred Brooks pointed
+ out, there's much more to building successful software
+ products than simply writing a computer program. Products
+ need testing, documentation, and translations. Even the
+ projects that build the products can use help, for example
+ maintaining web pages or triaging bug reports. Here are a few
+ common skill areas that are helpful, and resources to find
+ out more about them:</p>
+
+ <div class="itemizedlist">
+ <ul type="disc">
+ <li>Write code.</li>
+
+ <li>Write Documentation. First, it's important that the
+ GNU project be consistent. We can't have 40 different
+ documentation formats floating around, therefore GNU
+ documentation is written in a language called
+ <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href=
+ "http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/";
+ target="_top">Texinfo</a>. Second, writing good
+ documentation is a time-consuming exercise so we ask that
+ people consider whether they're able to commit at least a
+ few hours per week before getting involved in a large
+ project (such as writing a new manual). If you find
+ yourself unable to make such a commitment then we'd still
+ appreciate your help in areas such as proofreading,
+ though.</li>
+
+ <li>Translate. There's a lot of translation to be done,
+ and we'd appreciate your help. Please understand that
+ it's more helpful to write new documentation than
+ translate existing docs, but again we would appreciate
+ any help that you can offer.</li>
+ </ul>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>Once you've got an idea of what sort of task you'd like to
+ do (at a high level at least) you should think about how much
+ time you're ready to volunteer. Any amount is useful, but
+ it's important that you don't allow yourself to "bite off
+ more than you can chew". You need to be realistic about how
+ much time you'll be able to spend so you don't overcommit
+ yourself. That wouldn't good for you, the people in your
+ life, or the project that you've committed to.</p>
+
+ <p>How can you help given the amount of time that you'd like
+ to donate? There are many roles to play within a project;
+ naturally some consume more time than others. In order of
+ increasing commitment:</p>
+
+ <div class="itemizedlist">
+ <ul type="disc">
+ <li>User. An easy and fun way to help GNU and Free
+ Software is to use Free Software for all of your computer
+ tasks. By doing so you're joining a community of people
+ who are living their beliefs. Start by installing a
+ <a href="/distros">GNU/Linux distribution</a>.
+ Users can help in many important ways such as writing
+ high-quality bug reports, making feature requests, and gathering
+ functional requirements. Users provide important feedback to
+ distribution maintainers.
+ </li>
+
+ <li>Contributor. Many people want to help projects with
+ code, documentation, packaging, etc but aren't ready to
+ make the commitment (or don't have the experience) to be
+ maintainers. Contributors make non-trivial commitments to
+ the project but usually at a lower intensity than
+ maintainers. Contributors can report bugs but will often
+ fix the ones that they find, or at least investigate
+ their causes.</li>
+
+ <li>Maintainer. Maintainers are the project leaders, they
+ commit substantial time, energy, and emotion to their
+ projects. Typically a maintainer will be the ultimate
+ arbiter of any design or coding issues that arise within
+ the project. It's a prestigious title, but requires
+ effort to earn and a substantial investment to keep.</li>
+ </ul>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d698" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d698"></a>Find Something To Work
+ On</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>Now that you've thought about how much time you'd like to
+ contribute, and which roles might be right for you, it's time
+ to find something to do! It's best to work on something that
+ you use yourself, something that makes your life easier. If
+ you followed our advice above and are using a GNU system then
+ you've probably found a few things that you'd like to
+ improve, a couple of features that you'd like to have, or
+ even a bug or two. Great, jump in! Download the source code,
+ fire up your favorite editor (we trust that it's EMACS) and
+ start learning how the program is put together. When you feel
+ ready, subscribe to the developer's mailing list for that
+ project and ask how you can help. The project developers will
+ probably have a list of tasks to work on. If you've thought
+ of something yourself it's a good idea to check with the
+ developers before spending too much time on it; someone else
+ might already be working on the same thing and you don't want
+ to waste your effort.</p>
+
+ <p>If no project jumps out at you then you'll probably want
+ to search for a project that needs help. Here are some places
+ to look:</p>
+
+ <div class="itemizedlist">
+ <ul type="disc">
+ <li>Savannah Project Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://savannah.gnu.org/people/"; target=
+ "_top">http://savannah.gnu.org/people/</a></li>
+
+ <li>GNU Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html"; target=
+ "_top">http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a></li>
+
+ <li>Other GNU Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/projects/help-wanted.html";
+ target=
+ "_top">http://www.gnu.org/projects/help-wanted.html</a></li>
+
+ <li>GNU Task List: <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.html"; target=
+ "_top">http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.html</a></li>
+
+ <li>www.gnu.org tasks: <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="http://www.gnu.org/server/tasks.html"; target=
+ "_top">http://www.gnu.org/server/tasks.html</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>Ask the GVC for help by sending email to <a xmlns:exsl=
+ "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="mailto:address@hidden"; target="_top">address@hidden</a>.</p>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d984" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918d984"></a>Get Involved</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>Once you've found a project, how do you get involved? The
+ best approach is to familiarize yourself with the project's
+ work to date and then approach the project development team
+ and offer your help. Download the software, build it and
+ spend some time learning how it works and how the source code
+ is structured. If you have questions you can ask the
+ developers (preferably via the developers mailing lists) but
+ please be respectful of their time.</p>
+
+ <p>Many projects communicate using mailing lists, so you'll
+ want to find the project's developer mailing list and
+ subscribe to it. Different projects have different cultures
+ so it's prudent to "lurk" on the list for a few days to learn
+ the developers' style before diving in. When you're ready,
+ send a message offering your help. If you have an idea to
+ improve the program you might want to check with the
+ developers to see if anyone else is working on something
+ similar - if so you'll want to coordinate your efforts so you
+ don't waste time. If you don't have a specific idea but want
+ to help the project, say so and someone will suggest
+ something to work on.</p>
+ </div>
+
+ <div class="section" lang="en_US">
+ <div class="titlepage">
+ <div>
+ <div>
+ <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918da34" id=
+ "N0x886c438.0x918da34"></a>We're Here to Help</h2>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+
+ <p>We hope that this document has given you the information
+ that you need to find a good way to help GNU. Remember,
+ though, that the GNU Volunteer Coordinators are here to help
+ you, so if you get stuck please send us an email at
+ <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ href="mailto:address@hidden"; target="_top">address@hidden</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>Finally, <span xmlns:suwl=
+ "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
+ xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
+ "emphasis"><em>thank you</em></span> for your interest in
+ helping GNU!</p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+</body>
+</html>
+
+-->
Index: howto-volunteer.html
===================================================================
RCS file: howto-volunteer.html
diff -N howto-volunteer.html
--- howto-volunteer.html 29 Jun 2009 19:07:00 -0000 1.8
+++ /dev/null 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
@@ -1,491 +0,0 @@
-<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
-
-<html>
-<head>
- <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
- "text/html; charset=us-ascii">
-
- <title>How to Help the GNU Project</title>
- <meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.60.1">
- <meta name="keywords" content="GNU, volunteer, HOWTO">
-</head>
-
-<body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084"
-alink="#0000FF">
- <div class="article" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h1 class="title"><a name="N0x886c438.0x918cbc4" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918cbc4"></a>How to Help the GNU
- Project</h1>
- </div>
-
- <div>
- <div class="author">
- <h3 class="author"><span xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
- "surname">The GNU Volunteer Coordinators</span></h3>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <div>
- <div class="legalnotice">
- <p>This document can be freely translated and
- distributed. It's released under the GNU Free
- Documentation License (FDL).</p>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <div>
- <div class="revhistory">
- <table border="1" width="100%" summary=
- "Revision history">
- <tr>
- <th align="left" valign="top" colspan="3">
- <b>Revision History</b></th>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left">Revision 1.2</td>
-
- <td align="left">2003-04-26</td>
-
- <td align="left">hgayosso via toby</td>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left" colspan="3">Hugo sanded down some
- rough edges.</td>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left">Revision 1.1</td>
-
- <td align="left">2003-01-20</td>
-
- <td align="left">hgayosso via toby</td>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left" colspan="3">GVC emeritus Hugo
- Gayosso made many good comments.</td>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left">Revision 1.0</td>
-
- <td align="left">2003-01-11</td>
-
- <td align="left">toby</td>
- </tr>
-
- <tr>
- <td align="left" colspan="3">A journey of a mile or
- two begins with a single step.</td>
- </tr>
- </table>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
- <hr>
- </div>
-
- <div class="toc">
- <p><b>Table of Contents</b></p>
-
- <dl>
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d03c">Introduction</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d0ec">Background</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d2fc">Learn About
- GNU</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d3ac">Decide What To
- Do</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d698">Find Something To Work
- On</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918d984">Get Involved</a></dt>
-
- <dt><a href="#N0x886c438.0x918da34">We're Here to
- Help</a></dt>
- </dl>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d03c" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d03c"></a>Introduction</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>On behalf of the GNU Project Volunteer Coordinators,
- <span xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
- "emphasis"><em>thank you</em></span> for your interest in
- helping GNU! The GNU Volunteer Coordinators' job is to help
- advance the cause of Free Software by helping GNU volunteers.
- We want you to find an interesting, challenging and fun way
- to contribute because then you'll be more likely to make a
- long-term commitment to GNU. Getting started can be difficult
- so we wrote this document to help you determine the best way
- for you to help GNU.</p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d0ec" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d0ec"></a>Background</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>The GNU Project (<a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common";
- xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/"; target=
- "_top">http://www.gnu.org/</a>) writes, distributes, and
- promotes free software. The "free" in free software refers to
- liberty, not price: the freedom to use, modify, share, and
- improve the software. Free Software has many practical
- advantages over proprietary software but those are secondary
- benefits: GNU's rationale is <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/"; target=
- "_top">ethical</a>, not practical. Free Software is
- <span xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
- "emphasis"><em>better</em></span> than proprietary software
- for the same reasons that freedom is <span xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
- "emphasis"><em>better</em></span> than tyranny.</p>
-
- <p><a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.stallman.org/"; target="_top">Richard
- Stallman</a> launched the GNU Project in <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html";
- target="_top">1983</a> to develop a complete Unix-like
- operating system which is free software: the GNU system. (GNU
- is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix"; it is pronounced
- "guh-NEW".) In the years since the project began it has
- built, maintained and distributed some of the most important
- programs in use today: the GNU Compiler Collection (known as
- GCC), the GNU Debugger (known as GDB), the GNU C library, and
- the EMACS editor, among others. Along the way the project's
- scope grew and now GNU is much more than just a computer
- operating system: you can use GNU software to make telephone
- calls, design electronic circuits, write music, play chess,
- and many other things. There is currently no GNU software
- that can make toast, but that will likely change someday.</p>
-
- <p>The GNU Project is loosely organized, more like a republic
- than a monarchy. <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common";
- xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.stallman.org/"; target="_top">Richard
- Stallman</a> is the project leader. Projects can choose to
- become GNU projects if they share the core GNU values, agree
- to follow the GNU standards, and fit into the GNU system. You
- can help GNU in many ways, but as a rule of thumb if you're
- helping the cause of Free Software then you're helping
- GNU.</p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d2fc" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d2fc"></a>Learn About GNU</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>As we discussed in the introduction, the GNU project's
- motivation is ethical rather than practical. We believe that
- Free Software benefits society by preserving the freedoms of
- those who use it. Many people aren't as concerned about these
- issues and worry more about what's expedient for them. Often
- those people get frustrated when we hold to our principles
- rather than compromising them. That's why it's important that
- you take the time to learn about our beliefs (see our
- <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/"; target=
- "_top">philosophy page</a>) and decide which of them you
- agree with. We're confident that once you learn about the
- solid ethical foundation that the GNU project rests on you'll
- want to help.</p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d3ac" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d3ac"></a>Decide What To Do</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>If you've learned about GNU and Free Software and would
- like to help us then the next question is: what would you
- like to do? You can help GNU in many ways; we need people to
- write documents such as books, reference guides and online
- info, we also need people to write software, do research, and
- many other tasks. Because of all of the different tasks at
- hand we are sure that you have skills that can help the GNU
- Project; you don't have to be an experienced software
- developer to help us. What skills and experience do you have?
- Do you have experience writing large and complex technical
- documents? Do you speak several human languages? Do you have
- a unique skill? Have you been a Unix hacker for 20 years or
- are you just learning? Obviously the answers to these
- questions will determine the sorts of jobs that you'll want
- to attempt to do. For example, if you've never written any
- documentation then you probably don't want to attempt to
- write a C++ STL tutorial or reference. If you have little
- mathematical expertise then you probably won't want to work
- on a statistical analysis package.</p>
-
- <p>There are many ways to help GNU. As Fred Brooks pointed
- out, there's much more to building successful software
- products than simply writing a computer program. Products
- need testing, documentation, and translations. Even the
- projects that build the products can use help, for example
- maintaining web pages or triaging bug reports. Here are a few
- common skill areas that are helpful, and resources to find
- out more about them:</p>
-
- <div class="itemizedlist">
- <ul type="disc">
- <li>Write code.</li>
-
- <li>Write Documentation. First, it's important that the
- GNU project be consistent. We can't have 40 different
- documentation formats floating around, therefore GNU
- documentation is written in a language called
- <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href=
- "http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/";
- target="_top">Texinfo</a>. Second, writing good
- documentation is a time-consuming exercise so we ask that
- people consider whether they're able to commit at least a
- few hours per week before getting involved in a large
- project (such as writing a new manual). If you find
- yourself unable to make such a commitment then we'd still
- appreciate your help in areas such as proofreading,
- though.</li>
-
- <li>Translate. There's a lot of translation to be done,
- and we'd appreciate your help. Please understand that
- it's more helpful to write new documentation than
- translate existing docs, but again we would appreciate
- any help that you can offer.</li>
- </ul>
- </div>
-
- <p>Once you've got an idea of what sort of task you'd like to
- do (at a high level at least) you should think about how much
- time you're ready to volunteer. Any amount is useful, but
- it's important that you don't allow yourself to "bite off
- more than you can chew". You need to be realistic about how
- much time you'll be able to spend so you don't overcommit
- yourself. That wouldn't good for you, the people in your
- life, or the project that you've committed to.</p>
-
- <p>How can you help given the amount of time that you'd like
- to donate? There are many roles to play within a project;
- naturally some consume more time than others. In order of
- increasing commitment:</p>
-
- <div class="itemizedlist">
- <ul type="disc">
- <li>User. An easy and fun way to help GNU and Free
- Software is to use Free Software for all of your computer
- tasks. By doing so you're joining a community of people
- who are living their beliefs. Start by installing a
- <a href="/distros">GNU/Linux distribution</a>.
- Users can help in many important ways such as writing
- high-quality bug reports, making feature requests, and gathering
- functional requirements. Users provide important feedback to
- distribution maintainers.
- </li>
-
- <li>Contributor. Many people want to help projects with
- code, documentation, packaging, etc but aren't ready to
- make the commitment (or don't have the experience) to be
- maintainers. Contributors make non-trivial commitments to
- the project but usually at a lower intensity than
- maintainers. Contributors can report bugs but will often
- fix the ones that they find, or at least investigate
- their causes.</li>
-
- <li>Maintainer. Maintainers are the project leaders, they
- commit substantial time, energy, and emotion to their
- projects. Typically a maintainer will be the ultimate
- arbiter of any design or coding issues that arise within
- the project. It's a prestigious title, but requires
- effort to earn and a substantial investment to keep.</li>
- </ul>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d698" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d698"></a>Find Something To Work
- On</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>Now that you've thought about how much time you'd like to
- contribute, and which roles might be right for you, it's time
- to find something to do! It's best to work on something that
- you use yourself, something that makes your life easier. If
- you followed our advice above and are using a GNU system then
- you've probably found a few things that you'd like to
- improve, a couple of features that you'd like to have, or
- even a bug or two. Great, jump in! Download the source code,
- fire up your favorite editor (we trust that it's EMACS) and
- start learning how the program is put together. When you feel
- ready, subscribe to the developer's mailing list for that
- project and ask how you can help. The project developers will
- probably have a list of tasks to work on. If you've thought
- of something yourself it's a good idea to check with the
- developers before spending too much time on it; someone else
- might already be working on the same thing and you don't want
- to waste your effort.</p>
-
- <p>If no project jumps out at you then you'll probably want
- to search for a project that needs help. Here are some places
- to look:</p>
-
- <div class="itemizedlist">
- <ul type="disc">
- <li>Savannah Project Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://savannah.gnu.org/people/"; target=
- "_top">http://savannah.gnu.org/people/</a></li>
-
- <li>GNU Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html"; target=
- "_top">http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html</a></li>
-
- <li>Other GNU Help Wanted: <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/projects/help-wanted.html";
- target=
- "_top">http://www.gnu.org/projects/help-wanted.html</a></li>
-
- <li>GNU Task List: <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.html"; target=
- "_top">http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.html</a></li>
-
- <li>www.gnu.org tasks: <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="http://www.gnu.org/server/tasks.html"; target=
- "_top">http://www.gnu.org/server/tasks.html</a></li>
- </ul>
- </div>
-
- <p>Ask the GVC for help by sending email to <a xmlns:exsl=
- "http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="mailto:address@hidden"; target="_top">address@hidden</a>.</p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d984" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918d984"></a>Get Involved</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>Once you've found a project, how do you get involved? The
- best approach is to familiarize yourself with the project's
- work to date and then approach the project development team
- and offer your help. Download the software, build it and
- spend some time learning how it works and how the source code
- is structured. If you have questions you can ask the
- developers (preferably via the developers mailing lists) but
- please be respectful of their time.</p>
-
- <p>Many projects communicate using mailing lists, so you'll
- want to find the project's developer mailing list and
- subscribe to it. Different projects have different cultures
- so it's prudent to "lurk" on the list for a few days to learn
- the developers' style before diving in. When you're ready,
- send a message offering your help. If you have an idea to
- improve the program you might want to check with the
- developers to see if anyone else is working on something
- similar - if so you'll want to coordinate your efforts so you
- don't waste time. If you don't have a specific idea but want
- to help the project, say so and someone will suggest
- something to work on.</p>
- </div>
-
- <div class="section" lang="en_US">
- <div class="titlepage">
- <div>
- <div>
- <h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name=
- "N0x886c438.0x918da34" id=
- "N0x886c438.0x918da34"></a>We're Here to Help</h2>
- </div>
- </div>
- </div>
-
- <p>We hope that this document has given you the information
- that you need to find a good way to help GNU. Remember,
- though, that the GNU Volunteer Coordinators are here to help
- you, so if you get stuck please send us an email at
- <a xmlns:exsl="http://exslt.org/common"; xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- href="mailto:address@hidden"; target="_top">address@hidden</a>.</p>
-
- <p>Finally, <span xmlns:suwl=
- "http://nwalsh.com/xslt/ext/com.nwalsh.saxon.UnwrapLinks";
- xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"; class=
- "emphasis"><em>thank you</em></span> for your interest in
- helping GNU!</p>
- </div>
- </div>
-</body>
-</html>
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