X-Git-Url: https://projects.mako.cc/source/fspm_howto/blobdiff_plain/065c74841d7913b88a0080afc2fb257d76e2a95f..ff942e3f45fa1aec3647b0ccae0246beef0507a6:/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml diff --git a/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml b/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml index 8c83f39..713938b 100644 --- a/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml +++ b/FreeSoftwareProjectManagementHOWTO.sgml @@ -39,10 +39,10 @@ This HOWTO is designed for people with experience in programming and some skills in managing a software project but who are new to the world of Free Software. This document is meant to act as a - guide to the non-technical aspects of programming and was written - to act as a crash course in the people skills that aren't taught - to commercial coders but that can make or break a free software - project. + guide to the non-technical aspects of free software development + and was written to act as a crash course in the people skills + that aren't taught to commercial coders but that can make or + break a free software project. @@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ - For various reasons, this realease has been codenamed the - homade yogurt release. + For various reasons, this release has been code-named the + homemade yogurt release. @@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ - Skimming through Freshmeat provides mountains of reasons for this + Skimming through freshmeat.net provides mountains of reasons for this HOWTO's existence--the Internet is littered with excellently written and useful programs that have faded away into the Universe of Free Software Forgottenness. This dismal scene made me ask @@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ This HOWTO tries to do a lot of thing (probably too many), but it can't answer that question and won't attempt it. What this HOWTO will attempt to do is give your Free Software project a fighting - chance-an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is - interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you recite it in your - sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can - write a beautiful, relevent piece of software and follow every + chance--an edge. If you write a piece of crap that no one is + interested in, you can read this HOWTO until you can recite it in + your sleep and your project will probably fail. Then again, you can + write a beautiful, relevant piece of software and follow every instruction in this HOWTO and your software may still not make it. Sometimes life is like that. However, I'll go out a limb and say that if you write a great, relevant pieces of software and @@ -95,15 +95,11 @@ A lot of the information in this HOWTO is best called common sense. Of course, as any debate on interfaces will prove, what is common sense to some programmers proves totally unintuitive to - others. After explaining bites and pieces of this HOWTO to Free - Software developers on several occasions, I realized that that - writing this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for + others. After explaining bits and pieces of this HOWTO to Free + Software developers on several occasions, I realized that writing + this HOWTO might provide a useful resource and a forum for programmers to share ideas about what has and has not worked for - them. - - - - + them. @@ -124,13 +120,13 @@ - Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are - copyrighted by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may - be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium - physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is - retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and - encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified of any - such distributions. + Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted by + their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced + and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium physical or + electronic, as long as this copyright notice is retained on all + copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged; + however, the author would like to be notified of any such + distributions. @@ -144,14 +140,14 @@ - In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this - information through as many channels as possible. However, we do - wish to retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to - be notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs. + In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information + through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to + retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be + notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs. - If you have any questions, please contact + If you have any questions, please contact linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu @@ -163,11 +159,11 @@ No liability for the contents of this documents can be accepted. - Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk. - As this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors - and inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system. - Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely, - the author(s) do not take any responsibility for that. + Use the concepts, examples and other content at your own risk. As + this is a new edition of this document, there may be errors and + inaccuracies, that may of course be damaging to your system. + Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely, the + author(s) do not take any responsibility for that. @@ -194,7 +190,7 @@ New Versions - (your index root)!news on + fswd!news on @@ -206,9 +202,9 @@ - The latest version number of this document should always be listed - at my webpage at - http://people.debian.org/~mako/ Debian. + The latest version number of this document should always be listed + on my webpage at + Debian. @@ -265,7 +261,7 @@ Karl Fogel, the author of Open Source Development with CVS published by the Coriolis - Open Press. Larges parts of the book are available on the web. 225 pages of the book are available under the GPL and constitute the best tutorial on CVS I have ever seen. The rest of the book covers, @@ -275,7 +271,10 @@ more. The book's website has information on ordering the book and provides several translations of the chapters on CVS. I you are seriously - interested in running a Free Software project, you want this book. + interested in running a Free Software project, you want this + book. I tried to mention Fogel in sections of this HOWTO where I + knew I was borrowing directly from his ideas. If I missed any, I'm + sorry, and I'll try and have those fixed in future versions. @@ -283,25 +282,25 @@ com - Also providing support and material, and inspiration for this - HOWTO is Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consitent, and - carefully crafted arguments, to Lawrence Lessig for reminding me - of the importance of Free Software and to every user and developer + Also providing support material, and inspiration for this HOWTO is + Eric S. Raymond for his prolific, consistent, and carefully + crafted arguments, Lawrence Lessig for reminding me of the + importance of Free Software and finally, every user and developer involved with the Debian Project. The project has provided me with a home, a place - to practice Free Software advocacy and to make a difference, a - place to learn from those how have been involved with the movement - much longer than I, and an proof of a Free Software project that - definately, definately works. + to practice Free Software advocacy, a place to make a difference, + a place to learn from those how have been involved with the + movement much longer than I, and proof of a Free Software project + that definitely, definitely works. Above all, I want to thank Richard Stallman for his work at the Free Software Foundation and for never giving - up. Stallman provided the philosphical basis that attracts me to - Free Software and that drives me towards writing a document to - make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at rms - (at) gnu (dot) org. + up. Stallman provides and articulates the philosophical basis that + attracts me to Free Software and that drives me towards writing a + document to make sure it succeeds. RMS can always be emailed at + rms (at) gnu (dot) org. @@ -314,12 +313,12 @@ Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Without your submissions and input, this document wouldn't exist. Something - missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter. I - want this document to be as much a product of the Free Software - development process that it heralds and I think its ultimate - success will be rooted in this fact. Please send your additions, - comments and criticisms to the following email address : - mako (at) debian (dot) org. + missing? Don't hesitate to contact me and to write a chapter or + section, or subsection. I want this document to be a product of + the Free Software development process that it heralds and I think + its ultimate success will be rooted in this fact. Please send your + additions, comments and criticisms to the following email address + : mako@debian. org. @@ -333,14 +332,14 @@ I'd love for this HOWTO to gain the kind of international reach afforded by a translated version. + However, this HOWTO is still young and I have to yet to be - contacted about a translation so English is all that is + contacted about a translation so English is all that is currently available. If you would like to help with or do a translation, you will gain my utmost respect and admiration and you'll get to be part of a cool process. If you are at all interested, please don't - hesitate to contact me at: mako (at) debian (dot) - org. + hesitate to contact me at: mako@debian.org. @@ -365,7 +364,7 @@ - Starting a project also involves a dilemna that you as a developer + Starting a project also involves a dilemma that you as a developer must try and deal with. No potential user for your program will be interested by a program that doesn't work. Simultaneously, the development process that you want to employ holds involvement of @@ -376,7 +375,7 @@ It is in these dangerous initial moments that anyone working to start a free software project must strike a balance. One of the - most important ways that omeone trying to start a project can work + most important ways that someone trying to start a project can work towards this balance is by establishing a framework for the development process through some of the ways mentioned in this section. @@ -393,17 +392,17 @@ already have an idea for a project in mind. Chances are pretty good, it fills a gap by doing something that no other free software process does or or does it in a way that is unique - enought to necessitate a seperate project. + enough to necessitate a separate project. - Indentify and Articulate Your Idea + Identify and articulate your idea Eric S. Raymond writes about how free software projects start in his paper, "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" which comes as required - reading for any free softare development. You can find it online - at - http://www.tuxedo.org/!esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/. + reading for any free software development. You can find it online + . @@ -416,7 +415,7 @@ If you have an idea for a program in mind, chances are good that - it it is targetting a specific problem or itch you want to see + it it is targeting a specific problem or itch you want to see scratched. This idea is the project. Articulate it clearly. Write it out. Describe the problem you will attack in detail. The success of your project in tackling a particular @@ -427,14 +426,14 @@ - Evaluate Your Idea + Evaluate your idea In evaluating your idea, you need to ask yourself questions. Before you move any further into this HOWTO, you need to determine if the free software development model really is the right one for your project. Obviously, since the program - scratches your itch, you are definately interested in seeing it + scratches your itch, you are definitely interested in seeing it implemented in code. But, because one hacker coding alone fails to qualify as a free software development effort, you need to ask yourself the question: Is anybody else @@ -443,11 +442,12 @@ Sometimes the answer is no. If you want to - write a set of scripts to sort your MP3 - collection on your machine, maybe the free software development - model is not the best one to choose. However, if you want to - write a set of scripts to sort anyone's - MP3s, a free software project might fill a useful gap. + write a set of scripts to sort your + MP3 collection on your machine, maybe the free + software development model is not the best one to + choose. However, if you want to write a set of scripts to sort + anyone's MP3s, a free + software project might fill a useful gap. @@ -473,70 +473,59 @@ - freshmeat.net + freshmeat.net: - - Located at at - http://freshmeat.net, freshmeat describes itself as, - the Web's largest index of Linux and Open Source - software and its reputation along these lines remains - unquestioned. If you can't find it on freshmeat, its doubtful - that you'll find it indexed anywhere else. - + freshmeat + describes itself as, the Web's largest index of Linux + and Open Source software and its reputation along + these lines remains unquestioned. If you can't find it on + freshmeat, its doubtful that you'll find it indexed anywhere + else. - Slashdot + Slashdot: - - Located at - http://slashdot.org, Slashdot provides News - for Nerds: Stuff that Matters, which usually includes - discussion of free software, open source, technology, and - geek culture new and events. It is not unusual for an - particularly sexy develpment effort to be announced here so - it definately worth checking. - + Slashdot + provides News for Nerds: Stuff that Matters, + which usually includes discussion of free software, open + source, technology, and geek culture new and events. It is + not unusual for an particularly sexy development effort to be + announced here so it definitely worth checking. - SourceForge + SourceForge: - - Located at - http://sourceforge.net, SourceForge houses and - facilitates a growning number of open source and free - software projects, SourceForge is quickly becoming a nexus - and an necessary stop for free software - developers. SourceForge's - - software map and new releases - pages. should be necessary stops before embarking on a new - free software project. SourceForge also provides a - Code Snippet Library at http://sourceforge.net/snippet/ - which contains useful reusuable chunks of code in an array - of langauges which can come in useful in any project. - + SourceForge + houses and facilitates a growing number of open source and + free software projects, SourceForge is quickly becoming a + nexus and an necessary stop for free software + developers. SourceForge's software + map and new + releases pages. should be necessary stops before + embarking on a new free software project. SourceForge also + provides a at Code Snippet + Library which contains useful reusable chunks of + code in an array of languages which can come in useful in any + project. - Google and Google's Linux Search + Google and Google's Linux Search: - - Located at - http://www.google.com and - - http://www.google.com/linux, provide prowerful web - searches that may reveal people working on similar - projects. It is not a catalog of software or news like - freshmeat or Slashdot, but it is worth checking before you - begin pouring your effort into a redundant project. - + Google and + Google's Linux + Search, provide powerful web searches that may + reveal people working on similar projects. It is not a + catalog of software or news like freshmeat or Slashdot, but + it is worth checking before you begin pouring your effort + into a redundant project. @@ -547,7 +536,7 @@ Deciding to Proceed - Once you have successfull charted the terrain and have an idea + Once you have successful charted the terrain and have an idea bout what kinds of similar free software projects exist, every developer needs to decide whether to proceed with their own project. It is rare that a new project seeks to accomplish a @@ -571,7 +560,7 @@ development for many developers but it is essential. It is easy to become fired up by and idea and be caught up in the momentum and excitement of a new project. It is often extremely difficult - but it is important that any free software developer rememeber + but it is important that any free software developer remember that the best interests of the of the free software community and the quickest way to accomplish ones own project's goals and the goals of similar project can often be accomplished by @@ -582,41 +571,637 @@ - + - - Deciding on a License - - + + Licensing your Software + + + On one level, the difference between a piece of free software and + a piece of propriety software is the license. A license helps both + you as the developer by protecting your legal rights to your + software and helps demonstrate to those who wish to help you or + your project that they are encouraged to join. + + + + Choosing a license + + + Any discussion of licenses is also sure to generate at least a + small flame war as there are strong feelings that some free + software licenses are better than other free software + licenses. This discussion also brings up the question of + Open Source Software and the debate around + Open Source Software and Free + Software. However, because I've written the Free Software + Development HOWTO and not the Open Source Development HOWTO, my + own allegiances in this argument are out in the open. + + + + In attempting to reach a middle ground, I recommend picking any + license that conforms to the Debian Free Software + Guidelines. Examples of these licenses are the + GPL, the BSD, and the + Artistic License. Conforming to the definition of Free Software + offered by Richard Stallman in The Free + Software Definition, any of these licenses will + uphold, users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, + change and improve the software. There are other licenses + as well but sticking with a more common license will offer the + advantage of immediate recognition and understanding. + + + + In attempting a more in-depth analysis, I agree with Karl Fogel's + description of licenses as falling into two groups: those that + are the GPL and those that are not the + GPL. + + + + Personally, I license all my software under the + GPL. Created and protected by the Free + Software Foundation and the GNU Project, the + GPL is the license for the Linux kernel, + GNOME, Emacs, and the majority of Linux software. Its an easy + choice but I believe it is a good one. However, there + is a viral aspect to the GPLthat prevents the + mixture of GPL'ed code with + non-GPL'ed code. To many people (myself + included), this is a benefit, but to some, it is a major + drawback. + + + + The three major license can be found at the following locations: + + + + + + The GNU + General Public License + + + The + BSD License + + + The Artistic + License + + + + + + In all cases, please read through any license before + your release your software. As the developer, you can't afford + any license surprises. + + + + + The mechanics of licensing + + + The text of the GPL offers a good + description of mechanics of applying a license to a piece + of software. A checklist for applying a license would include: + + + + + + + If at all possible, attach and distribute a full copy of + the license with the source and binary in a separate + file. + + + + + At the top of each source file in your program, attach a + notice of copyright and information on where the full license + can be found. The GPL recommends that each + file begin with: + + +one line to give the program's name and an idea of what it does. +Copyright (C) yyyy name of author + +This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or +modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License +as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 +of the License, or (at your option) any later version. + +This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, +but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of +MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the +GNU General Public License for more details. + +You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License +along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software +Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. + + + + The GPL goes on to recommend attaching + information on contacting you (the author) via email or + physical mail. + + + + + + + The GPL continues and suggests that if your + program runs in an interactive mode, you should have the + program output a notice each time it enters interactive mode + that includes a message like this one that points to more + information about the programs licensing: + + + +Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author +Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details +type `show w'. This is free software, and you are welcome +to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `show c' +for details. + + + + + Finally, it might be helpful to include a + copyright disclaimer with the program from an + employer or a school if you work as a programmer or if it seems + like your employer or school might be able to make an argument + for ownership of your code. + + + + + + + + Final license warning + + + Please, please, please, place your software under some + license. It may not seem important, and to you, it may not be, + but licenses are important. For a piece of software to be + included in the Debian GNU/Linux distribution, it must have a + license that fits the Debian Free Software + Guidelines. If you have no license, your program can be + distributed in part of Debian until you re-release it under a free + license. Please save yourself and others trouble by releasing the + first version of your software with a clear license. + + + + + Choosing a Method of Version Numbering - + + The most important thing about a system of numbering is + that there is one. It may seem pedantic to emphasize + this point but you'd be surprised at the number of scripts and + small programs that pop up without any version number. + + + + The second most important thing about a system of + numbering is that the numbers always go up. Automatic + versioning systems and people's sense of order in the universe + will fall apart if version numbers don't rise. It doesn't + really matter if 2.1 is a big jump and + 2.0.005 is a small jump but it does matter that 2.1 is more recent + than 2.0.005. + + + + Follow these two rules and you will not go wrong. Still there are + several versioning system that are well known, useful, and that + might be worth looking into before you release your first version. + + + + + Linux kernel version numbering: + + The Linux kernel uses a versioning system where the any + minor odd minor version number refers to an development or + testing release and any even minor version number refers to a + stable version. Under this system, 2.1 and 2.3 kernels were and + always will be development and testing kernels and 2.0, 2.2. and + 2.4 kernels are all production code with a higher degree of + stability. + + + + Whether you plan on having a split development model (as + described in ) or only one version + released at a time, my experience with several free software + projects and with the Debian project has taught me that use of + Linux's version numbering system is worth taking into + consideration. In Debian, all minor versions are stable + distributions (2.0, 2.1, etc). However, many people assume that + 2.1 is an unstable or development version and continue to use + an older version until they get so frustrated with the lack of + development and progress that they complain. If you never + release an odd minor version but only release even ones, nobody + is hurt, and less people are confused. + + + + + + Wine version numbering: + + Because of the unusual nature of wine's development where + it constantly improving but not working towards any immediately + achievable goal, wine is released every three weeks. Wine does + this by versioning their releases in Year Month Day format where + each release might be labeled wine-XXXXXXXX where + the version from January 04, 2000 would be + wine-20000104. For certain projects, Year Month + Day format can make a lot of sense. + + + + + + Mozilla milestones: + + When one considers Netscape 6 and vendor versions, the + mozilla's project development structure is one of the most + complex free software model available. Their version numbering + has reflected the unique situation in which it is + developed. + + + + Mozilla's development structure has historically been made up + of milestones. From the beginning of the mozilla project, the + goals of the project in the order and degree to which they were + to be achieved were charted out on a series of road + maps. Major points and achievements along this road-maps + were marked as milestones. Therefore, mozilla was built and + distributed nightly as "nightly builds" but on a day when the + goals of a milestone on the road-map had been reached, that + particular build was marked as a milestone release. + + + + While I haven't seen this method employed in any other projects + to date, I like the idea and think that it might have value in + any testing or development branch of a large free application + under heavy development. + + + + + Documentation - + + + A huge number of otherwise fantastic free software applications + have withered because their author was the only person who knew + how to use them well. Even if your program is written primarily + for a techno-savvy group of users, documentation is helpful and + necessary for the survival of your project. You will learn later + in that you must always release + something that is usable. A piece of software without + documentation is not usable. + + + + There are lots of ways to document your project and lots of + different people to document for. The idea of documentation the + code itself to help facilitate development by a large community is + vital but is outside the scope of this HOWTO. This being the case, + this section deals mostly useful tactics for user-directed + documentation. + + + + A combination of tradition and necessity has resulted in a + semi-regular system method of documentation in most free software + projects that is worth following. Both users and developers expect + to be able to get documentation in several ways and its essential + that you provide the information they are seeking in a form they + can read if your project is ever going to get off the + ground. People have come to expect: + + + + Man pages + + Your users will want to be able to type man + foo end up with a nicely formatted man page highlighting + the basic use of their application. Make sure that before you + release your program, you've planned for this. + + + + Man pages are not difficult to write. There is excellent + documentation on the man page process available through the + The Linux Man-Page-HOWTO available through the + Linux Documentation project (LDP) written by + Jens Schweikhardt. It is available from + Schweikhardt's site or from the + LDP. + + + + It is also possible to write man pages using DocBook SGML and + convert them into man pages. Because man pages are so simple, I + have not been able to follow this up but would love help from + anyone who can give me more information on how exactly this is + done. + + + + + Command line accessible documentation + + + Most users will expect the most basic amount of documentation to + be easily available from the command line. For few programs should + then documentation extend for more than one screen (24 or 25 + lines) but it should cover the basic usage, a brief (one or two + sentence) description of the program, a list of commands, all the + major options, and a pointer to more in-depth documentation for + those who need it. The command line documentation for Debian's + apt-get serves as an excellent example and a useful model: + + + +apt 0.3.19 for i386 compiled on May 12 2000 21:17:27 +Usage: apt-get [options] command + apt-get [options] install pkg1 [pkg2 ...] + +apt-get is a simple command line interface for downloading and +installing packages. The most frequently used commands are update +and install. + +Commands: + update - Retrieve new lists of packages + upgrade - Perform an upgrade + install - Install new packages (pkg is libc6 not libc6.deb) + remove - Remove packages + source - Download source archives + dist-upgrade - Distribution upgrade, see apt-get(8) + dselect-upgrade - Follow dselect selections + clean - Erase downloaded archive files + autoclean - Erase old downloaded archive files + check - Verify that there are no broken dependencies + +Options: + -h This help text. + -q Loggable output - no progress indicator + -qq No output except for errors + -d Download only - do NOT install or unpack archives + -s No-act. Perform ordering simulation + -y Assume Yes to all queries and do not prompt + -f Attempt to continue if the integrity check fails + -m Attempt to continue if archives are unlocatable + -u Show a list of upgraded packages as well + -b Build the source package after fetching it + -c=? Read this configuration file + -o=? Set an arbitary configuration option, eg -o dir::cache=/tmp +See the apt-get(8), sources.list(5) and apt.conf(5) manual +pages for more information and options. + + + + It has become a GNU convention to make this information + accessible with the -h and the + --help options. Most GNU/Linux users will expect + to be able to retrieve basic documentation these ways so if you + choose to use different method, be prepared for the flames and + for the fallout that may result. + + + + Files users will expect + + In addition to man pages and online help, there are certain files + where people will look to documentation, especially in any + package containing source code. In a source distribution, most of + these files can be stored in a the root directory of the source + distribution or in a subdirectory of the root called + doc or Documentation. These files include: + + + + + README or Readme + + + A document containing all the basic installation, + compilation, and even basic use instructions that make up the + bare minimum information needed to get the program up and + running. A README is not your chance to be verbose but needs + to be concise and effective. An ideal README is at least 30 + lines long and more no more than 250. + + + + + INSTALL or Install + + + The INSTALL file should be much shorter than the INSTALL + file and should quickly and concisely describe how to build + and install the program. Usually an install simply instructs + the user to run ./configure; make; make install and touches on + any unusual options that may be necessary. More advanced users + can usually avoid them but it's good practice to at least + glance at the file to understand what can be expected. For + most relatively standard install procedures and for most + programs, INSTALL files are as short as possible are rarely + over 100 lines. + + + + + Changelog, ChangeLog, CHANGELOG, or changelog + + + A changelog is a simple file that every well-managed + free software project should include. A changelog is simple + the file that, as its name would imply, logs or documents the + changes to a program. The most simple way to do a changelog is + to simply keep a file with the source code for your program + and add a section to the top of the changelog with each + release describing what has been, changed, fixed, or added to + the program. It's a good idea to post the changelog onto the + website as well because it can help people decide whether they + want or need to upgrade to a newer version or wait for a more + significant upgrade. + + + + + FAQ + + + For those of you that don't already + know. FAQ stands for Frequently Asked + Questions and the file is a collection of exactly that. FAQs + are not difficult to make. Simply make a policy that if you + are asked a question or see a question on a mailing list two + or more times, add it the question (and its answer) to your + FAQs. FAQs are more optional than the files listed above but + they can save your time, increase usability, and decrease + headaches on all sides. + + + + + + + + + Website + + It's only a sort of an issue of documentation but a good website + is quickly becoming an essential part of any free software + project. Your website should provide access to documentation (in + HTML if possible). It should also include a + section for news and events around your program and a section + that details the process of getting involved with development or + testing and creates an open invitation. It should also supply + links to any mailing lists, similar websites, and directly to all + the available ways of downloading your software. + + + + + Other documentation hints + + + It doesn't hurt to distribute any documentation for your program + from your website or anywhere else (FAQs etc) with the + program. Make a FAQ by cutting and posting common questions and + answers from a mailing list or your own email. Then, don't + hesitate through this in the programs tarball. If people don't + need it, they will delete it. I can repeat it over and over: + Too much documentation is not a sin. + + + + All your documentation should be in plaintext, or, in cases where + it is on your website primarily, in HTML. Everyone can cat a + file, everyone has a pager, (almost) everyone can render + HTML. You are welcome to distribute information in PDF, + PostScript, RTF, or any number of other widely used formats but + this information must also be available in plaintext or HTML or + people will be very angry at you. + + Other Presentation Issues - - + + Many of the remaining issues surrounding the creation of a new + free software program fall under what most people describe as + common sense actions. Still, they are worth noting briefly in + hopes that they may remind a developer of something they may have + forgotten. + - + + Package formats + + Package formats may differ depending on the system you are + developing for. For windows based software, Zip archives (.zip) + usually serve as the package format of choice. If you are + developing for GNU/Linux, *BSD, or any UN*X, make sure that your + source code is always available in tar'ed and gzip'ed format + (.tar.gz). UNIX compress (.Z) has gone out of style and + usefulness and faster computers have brought bzip2 (.bz2) into + the spot-lit as a more effective compression medium. I now make + all my releases available in both gzip'ed and bzip2'ed formats. + - - Nuturing Future Development - - + + Binary packages are largely distribution specific. You can build + binary packages against a current version of a major + distribution, you will only make your users happy. Try to foster + relationships with users or developers of large distribution to + develop a system for consistent binary packages. It's often a + good idea to provide RedHat RPM's (.rpm), + Debian deb's (.deb) and source RPM's + SRPM's. Binary packages can also be compiled + against a specified system with specified libraries and + distributed in tar.gz format as well. Remember: While + these binaries packages are nice, getting the source packaged and + released should always be your priority. Other can and will do + the the binary packages for you. + + + + + Useful tidbits and presentation hints + + + + + + + Make sure that your program can always be found in a + single location. Often this means that you have a + single directory accessible via FTP or + HTTP where the newest version will be + quickly recognized. One effective technique is a provide a + symlink called projectname-latest that is + always pointing to the most recent released or development + version of your free software project. + + + + + + Make sure that there is a consistent email address + for bug reports. It's usually a good idea to make + this something that is NOT your primary email address like + projectname@host or projectname-bugs@host. This way if you + ever decide to hand over maintainership or if your email + address changes, you simply need to change where this email + address forwards to. It also will allow for more than one + person to deal with the influx of mail that is created if your + project becomes as huge as you hope it will. + + + + + + + @@ -625,44 +1210,561 @@ Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Developers ->which - - fswd!developers - + + fswd!developers + + + + Once you have gotten the project started, you have gotten over the + most difficult hurdles in the development process of your + program. Laying a firm foundation is essential, but the development + process itself is equally important and provides an equal number of + opportunities for failure. In the next two sections, I will and + cover running a project by discussing how to maintain a project + rough interactions with developers and with users. + + + + In releasing your program, your program becomes free software. This + transition is more than just a larger user base. By releasing your + program as free software, your software + becomes the free software community's + software. The direction of your software's development will be + reshaped, redirected, and fully determined by your users and, to a + larger extent, by other developers in the community. + + + + The major difference between free software development and propriety + software development is the developer base. As the leader of a free + software project, you need to attract and keep developers in a way + that leaders of proprietary software projects simply don't have to + worry about. As the person leading development of a free + software project, you must harness the work of fellow developers by + making responsible decisions and by and by choosing not to make + decisions responsibly. You have to direct developers without being + overbearing or bossy. You need to strive to earn respect and never + forget to give it. + Delegating Work - + + + By now, you've hypothetically followed me through the early + writing of a piece of software, the creation of a website and + system of documentation and and we've gone ahead and (as will be + discussed in ) released it to the rest + of the world. Times passes, and if things go well, people become + interested and want to help. The patches begin flowing in. + + + + Like the parent of any child who grows up, it's now time + to wince and smile and do most difficult thing in any parents + life: It's time to let go. + + + + Delegation is the political way of describing this process of + letting go. It is the process of handing some of + the responsibility and power over your project to other responsible + and involved developers. It is difficult for anyone who has + invested a large deal of time and energy into a project but it + essential for the growth of any free software project. One person + can only do so much. A free software project is nothing + without the involvement of a group of developers. A group of + developers can only be maintained through respectful and + responsible leadership and delegation. + + + + As your project progresses, you will notice people who are putting + significant amounts of time and effort into your project. These + will be the people submitting the most patches, posting most on + the mailing lists, engaging in long email discussions. It is your + responsibility to contact these people and to try and shift some of + the power and responsibility of your position as the project's + maintainer onto them (if they want it). There are several easy + ways you can do this: + + + + How to delegate + + + Like anything, its easier to see how others delegate than to do + it yourself. You may find that other developers seem even more + experienced or knowledgeable than you. Your job as a maintainer + does not mean you have to have to be the best or the + brightest. It means you need are responsible for showing good + judgment and for recognizing solutions that are maintainable and + are not. In a sentence: Keep an eye out for other + qualified developers who show an interest and sustained + involvement with your project and try and shift responsibility + towards them. The following ideas might be good places + to start or good sources of inspiration: + + + + Allow a larger group of people write access to your CVS + repository and make real efforts towards rule by a + committee + + + Apache is an + example of a project that is run by small group of developers + who vote on major technical issues and the admission of new + members and all have write access to the main source + repository. Their process is detailed online. + + + + The Debian Project + is an extreme example of rule by committee. At current count, + more than 700 developers have full responsibility for certain + aspects of the projects. All these developers can upload into + the main FTP servers, and vote on major issues. Direction for + the project is determined by the project social + contract and a constitution. To + facilitate this system, there are special teams (i.e. the + install team, the Japanese language team) and a technical + committee and a project lead. There is a project leader as well + but the leader's main responsibility is to, Appoint + Delegates or delegate decisions to the Technical + Committee. + + + + While both of these projects operate on a scale that your + project will not (at least initially), their example is + helpful. Debian's idea of a project who lead who can do + nothing but delegate can serve as a + caricature of how a project can involve and empower a huge + number of developers and grow to a huge size. + + + + + + Publicly appoint someone as the release manager for a + specific release. + + + A release manager is usually responsible for coordinating + testing, enforcing a code freeze, being responsible for + stability and quality control, packaging up the software, and + placing it in the appropriate places to be downloaded. + + + + This use of the release manager is a good way to give yourself a + break and to shift the responsibility for accepting and + rejecting patches to someone else. It is a good way of very + clearly defining a chunk of work on the project as belonging to + a certain person and its a great way of giving yourself a break. + + + + + Delegate control of an entire branch. + + If your project chooses to have branches (as described in ), it might be a good idea to appoint someone + else to be the the head of a branch. If you like focusing your + energy on development releases and the implementation of new + features, had total control over the stable releases to a + well-suited developer. + + + + The author of Linux, Linus Torvalds, came out and crowned Alan + Cox as the man for stable kernels. All patches + for stable kernels go to Alan and, if Linus were to be taken + away from work on Linux for any reason, Alan Cox would be more + than suited to fill his role as the acknowledged heir to the + Linux maintainership. + + + + + + + + + Accepting and Rejecting Patches + + This HOWTO has already touched on the fact that as the maintainer + of a free software project, one of primary and most important + responsibilities will be accepting and rejecting patches submitted + to you by other developers. + + + + Technical judgment + + + In Open Source Development with CVS, Karl + Fogel makes a convincing argument that the most important things + to keep in mind are a firm knowledge of the scope of your program + (that's the idea I talked about in ) and the ability to recognize, + facilitate, and direct evolution of a free + software program so that the program can grow and change and + incorporate functionality that was originally unforeseen but avoid + digressions that might expand the scope of the program too much + and result and push the project towards an early death under its + own weight and unwieldiness. These are the criteria that you as a + project maintainer should take into account each time you receive + a patch. + + + + Fogel elaborates on this again and states the the + questions to ask yourself when considering whether to implement + (or approve) a change are: + + + + + + + Will it benefit a significant percentage of the program's + user community? + + + + Does it fit within the program's domain or within a + natural, intuitive extension of that domain? + + + + + + + The answers to these questions are never straightforward and its + very possible (and even likely) that the person who submitted the + patch may feel differently about the answer to those questions + than you do. However, if you feel that that the answer to either + of those questions is no, it is your responsibility + to reject the change. If you fail to do this, the project will + become unwieldy and unmaintainable and will ultimately fail. + + + + + Rejecting patches + + + Rejecting patches is probably the most difficult and the most + sensitive job that the maintainer of any free software project + has to face. But sometimes it has to be done. I mentioned earlier + (in and in ) that any developer needs to try and + balance your responsibility and power to make what you think are + the best technical decisions with the fact that you will lose + support from other developers if you seem like you are on a + power trip or being overly bossy or possessive of a community-based + project. I recommend that you keep three major facts in mind when + rejecting patches (or other changes): + + + + Bring it to the community + + One of the best ways of justifying a decision to reject a patch + and working to not seem like you keep an iron grip on your + project is by not making the decision alone at all. It might + make sense to turn over larger proposed changes or more + difficult decisions to a development mailing list where they can + be discussed. There will be some patches (bug fixes, etc.) which + will definitely be accepted and some that you feel are so off + base that they do not even merit further discussion. It is those + that fall into the grey area between these two groups that might + merit a quick forward to a mailing list. + + + + I recommend this process wholeheartedly. As the project + maintainer you are worried about making the best decision for + the project, for the project's users and developers, and for + yourself as a responsible project leader. Turning things over to + an email list will demonstrate your own responsible and + responsive leadership as it tests and serves the interests of + your software's community. + + + + + Technical issues is not always good justification + + Especially towards the beginning, you will find that many + changes are difficult to implement, introduce new bugs, or have + other technical problems. Try to see past these. Especially with + added functionality, good ideas do not always come from good + coders. Technical merit is a valid reason to postpone the + application of a patch but it is not always a good reason to + reject a change outright. Even small changes are worth the + effort of working with the developer submitting the patch to iron out bugs and + incorporate the change if you thing you think it seems like a + good addition to your project. The effort on your part will work + to make your project a community project and it will pull a new + or less experienced developer onto your project and even teach + them something that might help them in their next patch. + + + + + Common courtesy + + It should go without saying but, above all and in all + cases, just be nice. If someone has an idea and cares + about it enough to write some code and submit a patch, they + care, they are motivated, and they are already involved. Your + goal as the maintainer is make sure they submit again. They may + have thrown you a dud this time but next time may be the idea or + feature that revolutionizes your project. + + + + It is your responsibility to first justify your action to not + incorporate their change clearly and concisely. Then thank + them. Let them know that you a appreciate their help and feel + horrible that you can't incorporate their change. Let them know + that you look forward to their staying involved and you hope + that the next patch or idea meshes better with your project + because you appreciate their work and want to see it in the + project. If you have ever had a patch rejected that put a large + deal of time, thought, and energy into, you remember how it + feels and it feels bad. Keep this in mind when you have to let + someone down. It's never easy but you need to do everything you + have to make it as not-unpleasant as possible. + + + Stable and Development Branches - - - + + The idea of stable and development branches has already been + described briefly in and in + . These alludes attest to the fact + to some of the ways that multiple branches can affect your + software. Branches can let you avoid (to some extent) some of the + problems around rejecting patches (as described in ) by allowing you to temporarily compromise the + stability of your project without affected those users who need + that stability. + - - Freezing - - + + The most common way of branching your project is to have one + branch that is stable and one that is development. This is the + model followed by the Linux kernel that is described in . In this model, there is always one + branch that is stable and always one that is in + development. Before any new release, the development branch goes + into a feature freeze where major changes and added + features are rejected or put on hold under the development kernel + is released as the new stable branch and major development begins + again on the development branch. Bug fixes and small changes that + are unlikely to have any large negative repercussions are + incorporated into the stable branch also to the development + branch. + - + + Linux's model is an extreme one. On many projects, there is no + need to have two versions always available. It may make sense to + have two versions only near a release. The Debian project has + historically made both a stable and an unstable distribution + available but has expanded to this to include: stable, unstable, + testing, experimental, and (around release time) a frozen + distribution that only incorporates bug fixes during the + transition from unstable to stable. There are few projects whose + size would necessitate a system like Debian but their use of + branches helps demonstrate how they can be used to balance + consistent and effective development with the need to make regular + and usable releases. + + + + In trying to set up a development tree for yourself, there are + several things that might be useful to keep in mind: + + + + + + + Minimize the number of branches + + Debian may be able to make good use of four or five + branches but it contains gigabytes of software in over 5000 + packages compiled for a 5-6 different architectures. Two is a + good number. Too many branches will confuse your users (I can't + count how many times I had to describe Debian's system when it + only had 2 and sometimes 3 branches!), potential developers and + even yourself. Branches can help but they come at a cost so use + them very sparingly. + + + + + Make sure that all your different branches are explained + + As I mentioned in the preceding paragraph, different + branches will confuse your users. Do + everything you can to avoid this by clearly explaining the + different branches in a prominent page on your website and in a + Readme file in the FTP or + HTTP directory. + + + I might also recommend against a mistake that I think Debian + has made. The terms unstable, + testing, and experimental are + vague and difficult to rank in order of stability (or + instability as the case may be). Try explaining to someone + that stable actually means ultra + stable and that unstable doesn't + actually include any unstable software but is really stable + software that is untested as a distribution. + + + + If you are going to do branches, especially early on, keep in + mind that people are conditioned to understand the terms + stable and development and you + probably can't go wrong with this simple and common division of + branches. + + + + + + Make sure all your branches are always available + + Like a lot of document, this should probably should go + without saying but experience has taught me that it's not + always obvious to people. It's a good idea to physically split + up different branches in different directories or directory + trees on your FTP or HTTP + site. Linux accomplishes this by having all the v2.2 and a v2.3 + subdirectory where it is immediately obvious (after you know + their version numbering scheme) which directory is the most + recent stable and the current development releases. Debian + accomplishes this by naming all their distribution by name and + then changing symlinks named stable, + unstable and frozen to point to + which ever distribution (by name) is in whatever stage. Both + methods work and their are others. In any case, it is important + that different branches are always available, are accessible + from consistent locations, and that different branches are + clearly distinguished from each other so your users know + exactly what they want to be downloading and where to get + it. + + + + + - - Avoiding the Code Cram Effect - - + - - Accepting and Rejecting Patches - + + Other Development issues + + There are more issues around surrounding interaction with + developers in a free software project that I can touch on in great + detail in a HOWTO of this size. Please don't hesitate to contact + me if you see any major omissions. Other smaller issues that are + worth mentioning are: + + + + Freezing + + For those projects that choose to adopt a split development model + (), freezing is a concept that is worth + becoming familiar with. + + + + Freeze come in two major forms. A feature freeze + is a period when no significant functionality is added to a + program. It is a period where established functionality (even + skeletons of barely working functionality) can be improved and + perfected. It is a period where bugs are fixed. This type of + freeze is usually applied some period (a month or two) before a + release. It is easy to push a release back as you wait for + one more feature and a freeze helps to avoid this + situation by drawing the much needed line in the sand. It gives + developers room they need to get a program ready for release. + + + + The second type of freeze is a code freeze which + is much more like a released piece of software. Once a piece of + software has entered a code freeze, all changes to the code are + frowned upon and only changes that fix known bugs are + permitted. This type of freeze usually follows a feature + freeze and directly precedes a release. Most released + software is in what could be interpreted as a sort of high + levelcode freeze. + + + + Even you do not choose to appoint a release manager (), you will have an easier time + justifying the rejection or postponement of patches ( before a release with a publicly stated + freeze in effect. + + + + + Forking + + Forks are the most extreme interpretation of a branch. A fork is + when a group of developers takes code from a free software + project and actually starts a brand new free software + project. The most famous example of a fork is Emacs and + XEmacs. Both emacsen are based on an almost identical code-base + but for technical, political, and philosophical reasons, + development was split into two projects which now compete with + each other. + + + + The short version of the fork section is, don't do + them. Forks force developers to choose one project to + work with, cause nasty political divisions, redundancy of work. + Luckily, usually the threat of the fork is enough to scare the + maintainer or maintainers of a project into changing the way they + run their project to avoid it. + + + + In his chapter on The Open Source Process, Karl + Fogel describes how to do a fork if you absolutely must. If you + have determined that is absolutely necessary and that the + differences between you and the people threatening to fork are + absolutely unresolvable, I recommend Fogel's book as a good place + to start. + + @@ -670,24 +1772,531 @@ Maintaining a Project: Interacting with Users + + fswd!users + - - fswd!users - + + If you've worked your way up to here, congratulations, you are + nearing the end of this document. This final section describes some + of the situations in which you, in your capacity as project + maintainer, will be interacting with users and gives some + suggestions on how these situations might be handled effectively. + + + Interacting with users is difficult. In our discussion of + interaction with developers, the underlying assumption is that in a + free software project, a project maintainer must constantly strive to + attract and keep developers who can easily leave at any time. + - + + Users in the free software community are different than users in + the world of proprietary software and they should be treated + differently. Some ways in which the groups differ significantly + follow: + - - Announcing Your Project - - + + + + + The lines between users and developers are blurred in ways + that is totally foreign to any proprietary development + model. Your users are often your developers and vice + versa. + + + + In the free software world, you are often your users only + choice. Because there is such an emphasis on not replicating the + work of others in the free software community and because the + element of competition present in the propriety software model is + absent (or at least in an extremely different form) in the free + software development model your users will probably be the only + project that does what you do (or at least the only one that does + what you do in the way that you do it). This means your + responsiveness to your users is even more important in that in + the proprietary world. + + + + In an almost paradoxical situation, free software projects + have less immediate or dire consequences for ignoring their + users--it is often easier to do. Because you don't usually need + to compete with another product in the free software model, + chances are good that you will not be scrambling to gain the + features of the competitor's newest program. This means that your + development process will have to be directed either internally, + by your users or both. + + + + + + Trying to tackle this unique situation can only be done + indirectly. Developers and maintainers need to listen to users and + to try and be as responsive as possible. A solid knowledge of the + situation recounted above is any free software developers best tool + for shifting his development or leadership style to fit the unique + process of free software development. This chapters will try and + introduce some of the more difficult or important points in any + projects interactions with users and give some hints on how to + tackle these. + Testing and Testers - + + + In addition to your users being your developers, they are also + (and perhaps more commonly) your testers. Before I get flamed, I + should rephrase my sentence: some users are + your testers. + + + + It is important that this distinction be made early on because not + all of your users wants to be testers. Many users want to use + stable software and don't care if they don't have the newest + greatest software with the latest and greatest features. These + users except a stable, tested piece of software with major or + obvious bugs worked out or openly declared and will be angry if + they find themselves in a testing position. This is yet another + way in which a split development model (as mentioned in ) might come in handy. + + + + Automated testing + + For many programs, many common and mistakes can be caught by + automated means. Automated tests tend to be pretty good at + catching errors that you've run into several times before or + something you just forget and not very good at finding errors, + even major ones, that were totally unforeseen. + + + + CVS comes with a bourne shell script called sanity.sh that is + worth looking at. Debian uses a program called lintian that + checks Debian packages for all of the most common errors. While + using these scripts may not be possible, there is a host of other + sanity checking software on the net that may be applicable (feel + free to email any recommendations). None of these will create a + bug-free release but they will avoid at least some major + oversights. Finally, if your programs become a long term + endeavor, you will find that there are certain errors that you + tend to make over and over. Start a collection of scripts that + check for these errors to help prevent them in the future. + + + + + Testing by testers + + For any program that depends on user interactivity, many bugs + will only be uncovered through testing by users actually clicking + the keys and pressing the mouse buttons. For this you need + testers and as many testers as possible. + + + + The most difficult part of testing is finding testers. It's + usually a good tactic to post a message to a relevant mailing + list or news group announcing a specific proposed release date + and outline the functionality of the program. If you put some + time into the announcement, you are sure to get a few bites. + + + + The second most difficult part of testing is keeping your testers + and keeping them actively involved in the testing + process. Fortunately, there are some tried and true tactics that + can applied towards this end: + + + + + + + Make things simple for your testers. + Your testers are doing you a favor so make it as easy as + possible. This means that you should be careful to package your + software in a way that is easy to find, unpack, install, and + uninstall. This also means you should explain what you are + looking for to each tester and make the means for reporting + bugs simple and well established. The key is to provide as much + structure as possible to make your tester's job easy and + maintain as much flexibility as possible for those that want to + do things a little differently. + + + + Be responsive to your testers. When + your testers submit bugs, respond to them and respond + quickly. Even if you are only responding to tell them that the + bug has already been fixed, quick and consistent response make + them feel like their work is heard, important, and + appreciated. + + + + Thank your testers. Thank them + personally each time they send you patch. Thank them publicly + in the documentation and the about section of your program. You + appreciate your testers and your program would not be possible + without their help. Make sure they know and pat them on the + back by making sure the rest of the world knows it too. It will + be appreciated more than you expected. + + + + + + + + + + + Setting up a Support Infrastructure + + + While testing is important, the large part of your interactions + and responsibility to your users falls under the category of + support. The best way to make sure your users are adequately + supported in using your program is to set up a good infrastructure + for this purpose so that your developers and users help each other + and less of the burden falls on you while people get quicker and + better responses to their questions. This infrastructure comes in + several forms: + + + + Documentation + + It should not come as any surprise that the key element to any + support infrastructure is good documentation. This topic was + large covered in and will not be + repeated here. + + + + + Mailing lists + + Aside from documentation, effective mailing lists will be your + greatest tool in supporting user support. Running a mailing list + well is more complicated than installing mailing list software + onto a machine. + + + + Separate lists + + + A good idea is too separate your user and development mailing + lists (perhaps into project-user@host and project-devel@host) + and enforce the division. If people post a development question + onto -user, politely ask them to repost it onto -devel and vise + versa. Subscribe yourself to both groups and encourage primarily + developers to do the same. + + + + This system provides so that no one person is stuck doing all of + the support work and works so that users learn more about the + program, they can help new users with their questions. + + + + + Choose mailing list software well + + Please don't make the selection of mailing list software + lightly. Please consider easy accessibility by users without a + lot of technical experience so you want to be as easy as + possible. Web accessibility to an archive of the list is also + important. + + + + The two biggest free software mailing list programs are majordomo + and GNU Mailman. A + long time advocate of majordomo, I would now recommend any + project choose GNU Mailman. It fulfills the criteria listed above + and makes it easier to do. It provides a good mailing list + program for a free software project maintainer as opposed to a + good mailing list application for a mailing list administrator. + + + + There are other things you want to take in setting up your + list. If it is possible to gate your mailing lists to USENET and + provide them in digest form as well as making them accessible on + the web, you will please some users and work to make the support + infrastructure slightly more accessible. + + + + + + Other support ideas + + + A mailing list and accessible documentation all you can do to set + up good user support infrastructure. Be creative. If you stumble + across something works well, email me and I'll include it here in + the HOWTO. + + + Make your self accessible + + You can not put to few methods to access you. If you hang out in + an IRC channel, don't hesitate to list in + your projects documentation. List email and snail mail + addresses, or ways to reach you via ICQ, + AIM, or Jabber. + + + + + Bug management software + + For many large software projects, use of bug management software + is essential to keep track of which bugs have been fixed, which + bugs have not been fixed, and which bugs are being fixed by + which people. Debian uses the Debian Bug Tracking System + (BTS) although it may not be best choice for + every project (it seems to currently be buckling under its own + weight. As well as a damn good web browser, the mozilla project + has spawned a sub-project resulting in a bug tracking system + called bugzilla. + + + + These systems (and others like them) can be unwieldy so + developers should be careful to not spend more time on the bug + tracking system than on the bugs or the projects themselves. If + a project continues to grow, use of a bug tracking system can + provide an easy standard way for users and testers to report + bugs and for developers and maintainers to fix them in an + orderly fashion. + + + + + + + + + Releasing Your Program + + + As mentioned earlier in the HOWTO, the first rule or releasing is, + release something useful. Non-working or + not-useful software will not attract anyone to your + project. People will be turned off of your project and be likely + to simply gloss over it next time they see a new version + announced. Half-working software, if useful, will intrigue people, + whet their appetites for the version to come, and encourage them + to join the development process. + + + + When to release + + + Making the decision to release your software for the first time + is an incredibly important and incredibly stressful decision. But + it needs to be done. My advice is to try and make something that + is complete enough to be usable and incomplete enough to allow + for flexibility and imagination by your future developers. It's + not an easy decision. Ask for help on a local Linux User Group + mailing list or from a group of developer friends. + + + + One tactic is to first do an alpha or + beta release as described below in . However, most of the guidelines described + above still apply. + + + + When you feel in your gut it is time and you feel + you've weighed the situation well several times, cross your + fingers and take the plunge. + + + + + How to release + + + If you've followed the guidelines described in this HOWTO up + until this point, the mechanics of doing a release are going to + be the easy part of releasing. If you have set up a consistent + distribution locations and the other infrastructure described in + the preceding sections, releasing should be as simple as + building the package, checking it once over, and uploading it + into the appropriate place and then reflecting the release on + your website. + + + + + Alpha, beta, and development releases + + + When contemplating releases, it worth considering the fact that + not every release needs to be a full numbered release. Software + users are accustomed to pre-releases but you must be careful to + label these releases accurately or they cause more problems then + they are worth. + + + + + + + alpha releases + + Alpha releases are expected to be unstable, perhaps a + little unsafe, but definitely usable. Alpha versions should + have full functionality and limited testing. They can have + known bugs and kinks that have yet to be worked out. Before + sure to keep in mind that alpha releases are still + releases and people are not going to be expecting a + nightly build from the CVS source. An alpha should work and + have minimal testing and bug fixing already finished. + + + + + beta releases + + Beta releases are general expected to be usable and + slightly unstable, although definitely + not unsafe. Beta releases usually + preclude a full release by under a month. They can contain + small known bugs but no major ones. All major functionality + should be fully implemented although the exact mechanics can + still be worked out. Beta releases are great tool to whet the + appetites of potential users by giving them a very realistic + view of where your project is going in the very near future + and can help keep interest by giving people + something. + + + + + development releases + + Development release is much more vague term than + alpha or beta. I usually choose + to reserve the term for discussion of a development + branch. There are other ways to use the term. So many in fact, + that I feel the term has been cheapened. The popular window + manager Enlightenment has + released nothing but development + releases. Most often, the term is used to describe releases + that are not even to alpha or beta stages though and if I were + to release a pre-alpha release in order to keep interest in my + project live, this is probably how I would have to label + it. + + + + + + + + + + + + + Announcing Your Project + + + Well, you've done it. You've (at least for the purposes of this + HOWTO) designed, built, and released your free software + project. All that is left is for you to tell the world so they + know to come and try it out and hopefully jump on board with + development. If everything is in order as described above, this + will be a quick and painless process. A quick announcement is all + that it takes to put yourself on the free software communities + radar screen. + + + + Mailing lists and USENET + + Email is still the way that most people on the Internet get their + information. Its a good idea to send a message announcing your + program to any relevant mailing list you know of and any relevant + USENET discussion group. Karl Fogel recommends that use you + simple subject describing the fact that the message is an + announcement, the name of the program, the version, and a + half-line long description of its functionality. This way, any + interested user or developer will be immediately attracted to + your announcement. Fogel's example looks like: + + + Subject: ANN: aub 1.0, a program to assemble USENET binaries + + + The rest of the email should describe the programs functionality + quickly and concisely in no more than two paragraphs and should + provide links to the projects webpage and direct links to + downloads for those that want it right away. + + + + You should repeat this announcement process consistently in the + same locations for each subsequent release. + + + + + freshmeat.net + + Mentioned earlier in , in today's free + software community, announcements of your project on freshmeat + are almost more important than announcements on mailing list + announcements. + + + + Visit the freshmeat + website or their submit project + page to post your project on their site and in their + database. In addition to a large website, freshmeat provides a + daily newsletter that highlights all the days releases and + reaches a huge audience (I skim it every night for any + interesting new releases). + + + + Once you've finished this... + + + + Congratulations. You've now the maintainer of an active free + software project. Good luck and feel free to stay in touch with + me about your experiences. I'd love to incorporate them into this + HOWTO. + +