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<article>
  <artheader>
    <title>New Committer Guide</title>

    <authorgroup>
      <author>
	<surname>The FreeBSD Documentation Project</surname>
      </author>
    </authorgroup>

    <pubdate>September 1999</pubdate>

    <copyright>
      <year>1999</year>
      <holder>The FreeBSD Documentation Project</holder>
    </copyright>

    <abstract>
      <para>Welcome, new committer, to the FreeBSD development
	team!</para>

      <para>The following docs are provided to orient you on doing CVS
	operations on the FreeBSD central repository machine.  A basic
	familiarity with CVS is already assumed, although CVS
	reference information, tutorials, and FAQs can also be found
	at: <ulink url="http://www.cyclic.com/cyclic-pages/books.html">http://www.cyclic.com/cyclic-pages/books.html</ulink></para>

      <para>Good luck, and welcome aboard!</para>
    </abstract>
  </artheader>

  <sect1 id="admin">
    <title>Administrative Details</title>

    <informaltable frame="none" orient="port">
      <tgroup cols="2">
	<tbody>
	  <row>
	    <entry><emphasis>Main Repository Host</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry><hostid>freefall.FreeBSD.org</hostid></entry>
	  </row>
	  
	  <row>
	    <entry>
	      <emphasis>International Crypto Repository Host</emphasis>
	    </entry>
	    <entry><hostid>internat.FreeBSD.org</hostid></entry>
	  </row>

	  <row>
	    <entry><emphasis>Login Methods</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry>&man.ssh.1;</entry>
	  </row>
	  
	  <row>	  
	    <entry><emphasis>Main CVSROOT</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry>/home/ncvs</entry>
	  </row>
	  
	  <row>
	    <entry><emphasis>International Crypto CVSROOT</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry>/home/cvs.crypt</entry>
	  </row>

	  <row>
	    <entry><emphasis>Main CVS Repository Meisters</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry>&a.jdp; and &a.peter; as well as &a.asami; for
	      <filename>ports/</filename></entry>
	  </row>
	  
	  <row>
	    <entry>
	      <emphasis>International Crypto CVS Repository Meister</emphasis>
	    </entry>
	    <entry>&a.markm;</entry>
	  </row>

	  <row>	  
	    <entry><emphasis>Mailing List</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry><email>cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org</email></entry>
	  </row>
	  
	  <row>	  
	    <entry><emphasis>Noteworthy CVS Tags</emphasis></entry>
	    <entry>RELENG_3 (3.x-STABLE), HEAD (-CURRENT)</entry>
	  </row>
	</tbody>
      </tgroup>
    </informaltable>
    
    <para>It is required that you use &man.ssh.1; or &man.telnet.1;
      with Kerberos 5 to connect to the repository hosts.  These are
      generally more secure than plain &man.telnet.1; or
      &man.rlogin.1; since credential negotiation will always be
      encrypted.  All traffic is encrypted by default with &man.ssh.1;.
      With utilities like &man.ssh-agent.1; and &man.scp.1; also
      available, &man.ssh.1; is also far more convenient.  If you do
      not know anything about &man.ssh.1, please see
      <xref linkend="ssh.guide">.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="cvs.operations">
    <title>CVS Operations</title>

    <para>CVS operations are usually done by logging into
      <hostid>freefall</hostid>, making sure the
      <envar>CVSROOT</envar> environment variable is set to
      <filename>/home/ncvs</filename>, and then doing the appropriate
      check-out/check-in operations.  If you wish to add
      something which is wholly new (like new ports, contrib-ified
      sources, etc), a script called <quote>easy-import</quote> is
      also provided for making the process easier.  It automatically
      adds the new module entry, does the appropriate thing with
      <command>cvs import</command>, etc. &ndash; just run it without
      arguments and it will prompt you for everything it needs to
      know.</para>

    <para>If you are familiar with remote CVS and consider yourself
      pretty studly with CVS in general, you can also do CVS
      operations directly from your own machine and local working
      sources. Just remember to set <envar>CVS_RSH</envar> to
      <wordasword>ssh</wordasword> so that you are using a relatively
      secure and reliable transport.  If you have no idea what any of
      the above even means, on the other hand, then please stick with
      logging into <hostid>freefall</hostid> and applying your diffs
      with &man.patch.1;.</para>

    <para>If you need to use CVS <command>add</command> and
      <command>delete</command> operations in a manner that is
      effectively a <quote>mv</quote> operation, then a repository
      copy is in order rather than your CVS <command>add</command> and
      <command>delete</command>.  In a repository copy, a <link
      linkend="conventions">CVS Meister</link> will copy the file(s)
      to their new name and/or location and let you know when it is
      done.  The purpose of a repository copy is to preserve file
      change history, or logs.  We in the FreeBSD Project greatly
      value the change history CVS gives to the project.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="conventions">
    <title>Conventions and Traditions</title>

    <para>The CVS Repository Meisters (Peter Wemm and John Polstra)
      are the <quote>owners</quote> of the CVS repository and
      responsible for any and <emphasis>all</emphasis> direct
      modification of it for the purposes of cleanup or fixing some
      grievous abuse of CVS by a committer.  No one else should
      attempt to touch the repository directly.  Should you cause some
      repository accident, say a bad cvs import or tag operation, do
      <emphasis role="bold">not</emphasis> attempt to fix it yourself!
      Mail or call John or Peter immediately and report the problem to
      one of them instead.  The only ones allowed to directly fiddle
      the repository bits are the repomeisters.  Satoshi Asami is also a
      repomeister for the <filename>ports/</filename> portion of the
      tree.  Mark Murray is the repomeister for the International
      Crypto Repository in South Africa.</para>

    <para>If you are a new committer, your very first commit should be
      to add yourself to the developer's section (28.2) of the
      Handbook.  Figuring out how to check the handbook out and add an
      entry for yourself is relatively easy but still remains a good
      first test of your CVS skills.  If you can handle that one,
      you are probably going to be ok.</para>

    <para>Your next step should be to introduce yourself to the other
      committers, otherwise no one will have any idea who you are or
      what you are working on.  You do not have to write a comprehensive
      biography, just write a paragraph or two about who you are and
      what you plan to be working on as a committer in FreeBSD.  Email
      this to <email>cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org</email> and you will be on
      your way!</para>

    <para>Also, be sure to log into <hostid>hub.FreeBSD.org</hostid>
      and create yourself a
      <filename>/var/forward/<replaceable>user</replaceable></filename>
      (where <replaceable>user</replaceable> is your username) file
      which contains your principal e-mail address where you want mail
      to <replaceable>yourusername</replaceable>@FreeBSD.org
      to be forwarded.  Really large mailboxes which have taken up
      permanent residence on <hostid>hub</hostid> often get
      <quote>accidently</quote> truncated without warning, so forward
      it or read it and you will not lose it.</para>

    <para>All new committers also have a mentor assigned to them for
      the first few months.  Your mentor is more or less responsible for
      explaining anything which is confusing to you and is also
      responsible for your actions during this initial period.  If you
      make a bogus commit, it is only going to embarrass your mentor
      and you should probably make it a policy to pass at least your
      first few commits by your mentor before committing it to the
      repository.</para>

    <para>All commits should go to <literal>-CURRENT</literal> first
      before being merged to <literal>-STABLE</literal>.  No major new
      features or high-risk modifications should be made to the
      <literal>-STABLE</literal> branch.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="developer.relations">
    <title>Developer Relations</title>

    <para>If you are working directly on your own code or on code
      which is already well established as your responsibility, then
      there is probably little need to check with other committers
      before jumping in with a commit.  If you see a bug in an area of
      the system which is clearly orphaned (and there are a few such
      areas, to our shame), the same applies.  If, however, you are
      about to modify something which is clearly being actively
      maintained by someone else (and it is only by watching the
      <literal>cvs-all</literal> mailing list that you can really get
      a feel for just what is and is not) then consider sending the
      change to them instead, just as you would have before becoming a
      committer.  For ports, you should contact the listed
      <makevar>MAINTAINER</makevar> in the
      <filename>Makefile</filename>.  For other parts of the
      repository, if you are unsure who the active maintainer might
      be, it may help to scan the output of <command>cvs log</command>
      to see who has committed changes in the past. If your queries go
      unanswered or the committer otherwise indicates a lack of
      proprietary interest in the area affected, go ahead and commit
      it.</para>

    <para>If you are at all unsure about a commit for any reason in
      general, have it reviewed by <literal>-hackers</literal> first
      before committing.  Better to have it flamed then and there
      rather than when it is part of the CVS repository.  If you do
      happen to commit something which results in controversy
      erupting, you may also wish to consider backing the change out
      again until the matter is settled.  Remember &ndash; with CVS we
      can always change it back.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="gnats">
    <title>GNATS</title>

    <para>The FreeBSD Project utilizes
      <application>GNATS</application> for tracking bugs and change
      requests.  Be sure that if you commit a fix or suggestion found
      in a <application>GNATS</application> PR, you use
      <command>edit-pr <replaceable>pr-number</replaceable></command>
      on <hostid>freefall</hostid> to close it.  It is also considered
      nice if you take time to close any PRs associated with your
      commits, if appropriate.  Your can also make use of
      &man.send-pr.1; yourself for proposing any change which you feel
      should probably be made, pending a more extensive peer-review
      first.</para>

    <para>You can find out more about <application>GNATS</application>
      at:</para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
	<para><ulink url="http://www.cs.utah.edu/csinfo/texinfo/gnats/gnats.html">http://www.cs.utah.edu/csinfo/texinfo/gnats/gnats.html</ulink></para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para><ulink url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/support.html">http://www.FreeBSD.org/support.html</ulink></para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para><ulink url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/send-pr.html">http://www.FreeBSD.org/send-pr.html</ulink></para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>&man.send-pr.1;</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="people">
    <title>Who's Who</title>

    <para>Besides Peter Wemm and John Polstra, the repository
    meisters, there are other FreeBSD project members whom you will
    probably get to know in your new role as a committer.  Briefly,
    and by no means all-inclusively, these are:</para>

    <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.asami;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Is the portsmeister, meaning that he has ultimate
	  authority over any modifications to the ports collection or
	  ports make macro files.  He is also the one responsible for
	  administering code freezes before the releases.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.bde;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Is Obersturmbahnfuhrer of the Style Police.  When you
	    do a commit that could have been done better, Bruce will
	    be there to note it to you.  Be thankful that someone
	    is.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.dg;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Is our principal architect and overseer of the VM
	    system.  If you have a VM system change in mind,
	    coordinate it with David.  Should you become locked in
	    bitter, intractable dispute with some other committer over
	    a proposed change (which does not happen very often,
	    thankfully) then an appeal to David to put on his P.A. hat
	    and make a final decision can also occasionally be
	    necessary.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.jkh;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Is the release engineer.  He is responsible for
	    setting release deadlines and controlling the release
	    process.  During code freezes, he also has final authority
	    on all changes to the system for whichever branch is
	    pending release status.  If there is something you want
	    merged from <literal>-CURRENT</literal> to
	    <literal>-STABLE</literal> (whatever values those may have
	    at any given time), he is also the one to talk to about
	    it</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.markm;</term>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Mark is the CVS repository meister for the
	    international crypto repository kept on
	    <hostid>internat.FreeBSD.org</hostid> in South Africa.</para>

          <para>Mark also oversees most of the crypto code; if you have
            any crypto updates, please ask Mark first.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.steve;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Steve is unofficial maintainer of
	    <filename>/usr/src/bin</filename>.  If you have something
	    significant you'd like to do there, you should probably
	    coordinate it first with Steve.  He's also Problem
	    Report-meister, along with &a.phk;.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.brian;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Official maintainer of
	    <filename>/usr/bin/ppp</filename> and LPD.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>

      <varlistentry>
	<term>&a.wollman;</term>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>If you need advice on obscure network internals or
	    aren't sure of some potential change to the networking
	    subsystem you have in mind, Garrett is someone to talk
	    to.</para>
	</listitem>
      </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 id="ssh.guide">
    <title>SSH Quick-Start Guide</title>

    <procedure>
      <step>
	<para>Update and install the ssh port in
	  <filename>/usr/ports/security/ssh</filename> (should be
	  version 1.2.25 or later).</para>
      </step>

      <step>
	<para>Make sure that you run &man.ssh-agent.1; before running
	  other applications.  X users, for example, usually do this
	  from their <filename>.xsession</filename> or
	  <filename>.xinitrc</filename> file.  See &man.ssh-agent.1;
	  for details.</para>
      </step>
      
      <step>
	<para>Generate a key pair using &man.ssh-keygen.1;.  The key
	  pair will wind up in the
	  <filename><envar>$HOME</envar>/.ssh</filename>
	  directory.</para>
      </step>

      <step>
	<para>Copy your public key
	  (<filename><envar>$HOME</envar>/.ssh/identity.pub</filename>)
	  into your <filename>authorized_keys</filename> file in your
	  home directory on <hostid>freefall</hostid>
	  (i.e.
	  <filename><envar>$HOME</envar>/.ssh/authorized_keys</filename>).
	</para>
      </step>
    </procedure>
    
    <para>Now you should be able to use &man.ssh-add.1; for
      authentication once per session.  This will prompt you for
      your private key's pass phrase, and then store it in your
      authentication agent (&man.ssh-agent.1;) so that you won't
      have to retype it over and over.</para>
    
    <para>Test by doing something such as <command>ssh
	freefall.FreeBSD.org ls /usr</command>.</para>

    <para>For more information, see
      <filename>/usr/ports/security/ssh</filename>, &man.ssh.1;,
      &man.ssh-agent.1;, &man.scp.1;, and &man.ssh-keygen.1;.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>The FreeBSD Committers' Big List of Rules</title>

    <orderedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Respect other committers.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Discuss any significant change <emphasis>before</emphasis>
	  committing.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Respect existing maintainers if listed
	  (<makevar>MAINTAINER</makevar> field in
	  <filename>Makefile</filename> or <filename>MAINTAINER</filename>
	  file in the top-level directory).</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Never touch the repository directly.  Ask a Repomeister.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Any disputed change must be backed out pending resolution of
	  the dispute if requested by a maintainer or the Principal
	  Architect.  Security related changes may override a maintainer's
	  wishes at the Security Officer's discretion.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Changes go to -current before -stable unless specifically
	  permitted by the release engineer or unless they're not applicable
	  to -current.  Any non-trivial or non-urgent change which is
	  applicable should also be allowed to sit in -current for at least 3
	  days before merging so that it can be given sufficient testing.  The
	  release engineer has the same authority over the -stable branch as
	  outlined for the Principal Architect in rule #5.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Don't fight in public with other committers; it looks bad.  If
	  you must "strongly disagree" about something, do so only in
	  private.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Respect all code freezes and read the committers mailing list on
	  a timely basis so you know when a code freeze is in effect.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>When in doubt on any procedure, ask first!</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
	<para>Test your changes before committing them.</para>
      </listitem>
    </orderedlist>

    <para>As noted, breaking some of these rules can be grounds for suspension
      or, upon repeated offense, permanent removal of commit privileges.
      Three or more members of core, or the Principal Architect and another
      member of core acting in unison, have the power to temporarily suspend
      commit privileges until -core as a whole has the chance to review the
      issue.  In cases of "emergency" (a committer doing damage to the
      repository), a temporary suspension may also be done by the repository
      meisters or any other member of core who may happen to be awake at the
      time.  Only core as a whole has the authority to suspend commit
      privileges for any significant length of time or to remove them
      permanently, the latter generally only being done after consultation
      with committers.  This rule does not exist to set core up as a bunch of
      cruel dictators who can dispose of committers as casually as empty soda
      cans, but to give the project a kind of safety fuse.  If someone is
      seriously out of control, it's important to be able to deal with this
      immediately rather than be paralyzed by debate.  In all cases, a
      committer whose privileges are suspended or revoked is entitled to a
      &ldquo;hearing&rdquo;, the total duration of the suspension being
      determined at that time.  A committer whose privileges are suspended may
      also request a review of the decision after 30 days and every 30 days
      thereafter (unless the total suspension period is less than 30 days).  A
      committer whose privileges have been revoked entirely may request a
      review after a period of 6 months have elapsed.  This review policy is
      <emphasis>strictly informal</emphasis> and, in all cases, core reserves
      the right to either act on or disregard requests for review if they feel
      their original decision to be the right one.</para>
    
    <para>In all other aspects of project operation, core is a subset of
      committers and is bound by the <emphasis>same rules</emphasis>.  Just
      because someone is in core doesn't mean that they have special
      dispensation to step outside of any of the lines painted here; core's
      &ldquo;special powers&rdquo; only kick in when it acts as a group, not
      on an individual basis.  As individuals, we are all committers first and
      core second.</para>
    
    <sect2>
      <title>Details</title>

      <orderedlist>
	<listitem>
	  <para>Respect other committers.</para>

	  <para>This means that you need to treat other committers as the
	    peer-group developers that they are.  Despite our occasional
	    attempts to prove the contrary, one doesn't get into committers by
	    being stupid and nothing rankles more than being treated that way
	    by one of your peers.  Whether we always feel respect for one
	    another or not (and everyone has off days), we still have to
	    <emphasis>treat</emphasis> other committers with respect at all
	    times or the whole team structure rapidly breaks down.</para>
	  
	  <para>Being able to work together long term is this project's
	    greatest asset, one far more important than any set of changes to
	    the code, and turning arguments about code into issues that affect
	    our long-term ability to work harmoniously together is just not
	    worth the trade-off by any conceivable stretch of the
	    imagination.</para>
	  
	  <para>To comply with this rule, don't send email when you're angry
	    or otherwise behave in a manner which is likely to strike others
	    as needlessly confrontational.  First calm down, then think about
	    how to communicate in the most effective fashion for convincing
	    the other person(s) that your side of the argument is correct,
	    don't just blow off some steam so you can feel better in the short
	    term at the cost of a long-term flame war.  Not only is this very
	    bad &ldquo;energy economics&rdquo;, but repeated displays of
	    public aggression which impair our ability to work well together
	    will be dealt with severely by the project leadership and may
	    result in suspension or termination of your commit privileges.
	    That's never an option which the project's leadership enjoys in
	    the slightest, but unity comes first.  No amount of code or good
	    advice is worth trading that away.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Discuss any significant change <emphasis>before</emphasis>
	    committing.</para>
	  
	  <para>The CVS repository is not where changes should be initially
	    submitted for correctness or argued over, that should happen first
	    in the mailing lists and then committed only once something
	    resembling consensus has been reached.  This doesn't mean that you
	    have to ask permission before correcting every obvious syntax
	    error or man page misspelling, simply that you should try to
	    develop a feel for when a proposed change isn't quite such a
	    no-brainer and requires some feedback first.  People really don't
	    mind sweeping changes if the result is something clearly better
	    than what they had before, they just don't like being
	    <emphasis>surprised</emphasis> by those changes.  The very best
	    way of making sure that you're on the right track is to have your
	    code reviewed by one or more other committers.</para>

	  <para>When in doubt, ask for review!</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Respect existing maintainers if listed.</para>

	  <para>Many parts of FreeBSD aren't &ldquo;owned&rdquo; in the sense
	    that any specific individual will jump up and yell if you commit a
	    change to &ldquo;their&rdquo; area, but it still pays to check
	    first.  One convention we use is to put a maintainer line in the
	    <filename>Makefile</filename> for any package or subtree which is
	    being actively maintained by one or more people; see <ulink
	      url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/handbook/policies.html">http://www.FreeBSD.org/handbook/policies.html</ulink>
	    for documentation on this.  Where sections of code have several
	    maintainers, commits to affected areas by one maintainer need to
	    be reviewed by at least one other maintainer.  In cases where the
	    "maintainer-ship" of something isn't clear, you can also look at
	    the CVS logs for the file(s) in question and see if someone has
	    been working recently or predominantly in that area.</para>

	  <para>Other areas of FreeBSD fall under the control of someone who
	    manages an overall category of FreeBSD evolution, such as
	    internationalization or networking.  See
	    <ulink
	      url="http://www.FreeBSD.org/handbook/staff-who.html">http://www.FreeBSD.org/handbook/staff-who.html</ulink> for more information on this.</para>
	</listitem>
	
	<listitem>
	  <para>Never touch the repository directly.  Ask a
	    Repomeister.</para>

	  <para>This is pretty clear - you're not allowed to make direct
	    modifications to the CVS repository, period.  In case of
	    difficulty, ask one of the repository meisters by sending mail to
	    <email>cvs@FreeBSD.org</email> and simply wait for them to fix the
	    problem and get back to you. Do not attempt to fix the problem
	    yourself!</para>
	  
	  <para>If you're thinking about putting down a tag or doing a new
	    import of code on a vendor branch, you might also find it useful
	    to ask for advice first.  A lot of people get this wrong the first
	    few times and the consequences are expensive in terms of files
	    touched and angry CVSup/CTM folks who are suddenly getting a lot
	    of changes sent over unnecessarily.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Any disputed change must be backed out pending resolution of
	    the dispute if requested by a maintainer or the Principal
	    Architect.  Security related changes may override a maintainer's
	    wishes at the Security Officer's discretion.</para>
	  
	  <para>This may be hard to swallow in times of conflict (when each
	    side is convinced that they're in the right, of course) but CVS
	    makes it unnecessary to have an ongoing dispute raging when it's
	    far easier to simply reverse the disputed change, get everyone
	    calmed down again and then try and figure out how best to proceed.
	    If the change turns out to be the best thing after all, it can be
	    easily brought back. If it turns out not to be, then the users
	    didn't have to live with the bogus change in the tree while
	    everyone was busily debating its merits.  People very very rarely
	    call for back-outs in the repository since discussion generally
	    exposes bad or controversial changes before the commit even
	    happens, but on such rare occasions the back-out should be done
	    without argument so that we can get immediately on to the topic of
	    figuring out whether it was bogus or not.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Changes go to -current before -stable unless specifically
	    permitted by the release engineer or unless they're not applicable
	    to -current.  Any non-trivial or non-urgent change which is
	    applicable should also be allowed to sit in -current for at least
	    3 days before merging so that it can be given sufficient testing.
	    The release engineer has the same authority over the -stable
	    branch as outlined in rule #5.</para>
	
	  <para>This is another "don't argue about it" issue since it's the
	    release engineer who is ultimately responsible (and gets beaten
	    up) if a change turns out to be bad.  Please respect this and give
	    the release engineer your full cooperation when it comes to the
	    -stable branch.  The management of -stable may frequently seem to
	    be overly conservative to the casual observer, but also bear in
	    mind the fact that conservatism is supposed to be the hallmark of
	    -stable and different rules apply there than in -current.  There's
	    also really no point in having -current be a testing ground if
	    changes are merged over from -stable immediately without giving
	    them a chance be tested by the -current developers, so allow some
	    time to elapse before merging unless the -stable fix is critical,
	    time sensitive or so obvious as to make further testing
	    unnecessary (spelling fixes to manpages, obvious bug/typo fixes,
	    etc.)  In other words, apply common sense.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Don't fight in public with other committers; it looks bad.  If
	    you must &ldquo;strongly disagree&rdquo; about something, do so
	    only in private.</para>
	  
	  <para>This project has a public image to uphold and that image is
	    very important to all of us, especially if we're to continue to
	    attract new members.  There will be occasions when, despite
	    everyone's very best attempts at self-control, tempers are lost
	    and angry words are exchanged, and the best we can do is try and
	    minimize the effects of this until everyone has cooled back down.
	    That means that you shouldn't air your angry words in public and
	    you shouldn't forward private correspondence to public mailing
	    lists or aliases.  What people say one-to-one is often much less
	    sugar-coated than what they'd say in public, and such
	    communications therefore have no place there - they only serve to
	    inflame an already bad situation. If the person sending you a
	    flame-o-gram had at least the grace to send it privately, then
	    have the grace to keep it private yourself.  If you feel you're
	    being unfairly treated by another developer and it's causing you
	    anguish, bring the matter up with core rather than taking it
	    public.  We'll do our best to play peace makers and get things
	    back to sanity.  In cases where the dispute involves a change to
	    the codebase and the participants don't appear to be reaching an
	    amicable agreement, core may appoint a mutually-agreeable 3rd
	    party to resolve the dispute.  All parties involved must then
	    agree to be bound by the decision reached by this 3rd
	    party.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Respect all code freezes and read the committers mailing list
	    on a timely basis so you know when they are.</para>
	  
	  <para>Committing changes during a code freeze is a really big
	    mistake and committers are expected to keep up-to-date on what's
	    going on before jumping in after a long absence and committing 10
	    megabytes worth of accumulated stuff.  People who abuse this on a
	    regular basis will have their commit privileges suspended until
	    they get back from the FreeBSD Happy Reeducation Camp we run in
	    Greenland.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>When in doubt on any procedure, ask first!</para>

	  <para>So many mistakes are made because someone's in a hurry and
	    just assumes they know the right way of going about something.  If
	    you haven't done it before, chances are good that you don't
	    actually know the way we do things and really need to ask first or
	    you're going to completely embarrass yourself in public.  There's
	    no shame in asking &ldquo;how in the heck do I do this?&rdquo; and
	    we already know you're an intelligent person or you wouldn't be in
	    committers.</para>
	</listitem>

	<listitem>
	  <para>Test your changes before committing them.</para>
	  
	  <para>This may sound obvious, but if it really were so obvious then
	    we probably wouldn't see so many cases of people clearly not doing
	    this.  If your changes are to the kernel, make sure you can still
	    compile both GENERIC and LINT.  If your changes are anywhere else,
	    make sure you can still make world.  If your changes are to a
	    branch, make sure your testing occurs with a machine which is
	    running that code.  If you have a change which also may break
	    another architecture, be sure and test on all supported
	    architectures.  Currently, this is only the x86 and the alpha so
	    it's pretty easy to do.  If you need to test on the axp, your
	    account on <hostid role="fqdn">beast.FreeBSD.org</hostid> will let
	    you compile and test alpha binaries/kernels/etc.  As other
	    architectures are added to the FreeBSD supported platforms list,
	    the appropriate shared testing resources will be made
	    available.</para>
	</listitem>
      </orderedlist>
    </sect2>

    <sect2>
      <title>Other Suggestions</title>

      <para>When committing documentation changes, also be sure and use a
	spell checker before committing. :)  For all SGML docs, you should
	also verify that your formatting directives are correct by running
	<command>make lint</command>.</para>

      <para>For all on-line manual pages, run 'manck' (from ports) over the
	man page to verify the all of the cross references and file references
	are correct and that the man page has all of the appropriate
	<makevar>MLINK</makevar>s installed.</para>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Ports Specific FAQ</title>

    <qandaset>
      <qandadiv>
	<title>Importing a New Port</title>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>How do I import a new port?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>First, please read the section about repository
	      copy.</para>

	    <para>To import a new port, the easiest way is to use the
	      <command>easy-import</command> script on
	      <hostid>freefall</hostid>.  It will ask you some
	      questions and import the port in the directory you
	      specifies.  It will also add an entry to the modules
	      file.  It was written by &a.joerg; so please send mail
	      to him if you have questions about
	      <command>easy-import</command>.</para>

	    <para>One thing it will not do for you is add the port to
	      the parent (category) <filename>Makefile</filename>.
	      You have to do that yourself.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>Any other things I need to know when I import a new
	      port?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>Check the port, preferably to make sure it compiles
	      and packages correctly.  This is the recommended
	      sequence:</para>

	    <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>make install</userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>make package</userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>make deinstall</userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>pkg_add <replaceable>package you built above</replaceable></userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>make deinstall</userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>make reinstall</userinput>
&prompt.user; <userinput>make package</userinput>
	    </screen>

	    <para>The Handbook's
	      <ulink url="../handbook/porting.html">porting
	      section</ulink> contains more detailed
	      instructions.</para>

	    <para>Use &man.portlint.1; to check the syntax of the port.
	      You don't necessarily have to eliminate all warnings but
	      make sure you have fixed the simple ones.</para>

	    <para>If the port came from a submitter who has not
	      contributed to the project before, add that person's
	      name to the Handbook's
	      <citetitle pubwork="section">Additional Contributors</citetitle>
	      section.</para>

	    <para>Close the PR if the port came in as a PR.  To close
	      a PR, just do 
	      <userinput>edit-pr <replaceable>PR#</replaceable></userinput>
	      on <hostid>freefall</hostid> and change the
	      <varname>state</varname> from <constant>open</constant>
	      to <constant>closed</constant>.  You will be asked to
	      enter a log message and then you are done.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>
      </qandadiv>

      <qandadiv>
	<title>Repository Copies</title>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>When do we need a repository copy?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>When you want to import a port that is related to
	      any port that is already in the tree in a separate
	      directory, please send mail to the ports manager asking
	      about it.  Here <wordasword>related</wordasword> means
	      it is a different version or a slightly modified
	      version.  Examples are
	      <filename>print/ghostscript*</filename> (different
	      versions) and <filename>x11-wm/windowmaker*</filename>
	      (English-only and internationalized version).</para>

	    <para>Another example is when a port is moved from one
	      subdirectory to another, or when you want to change the
	      name of a directory due to the authors calling their
	      software by a different name even though it's a
	      descendant of a port already in a tree.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>When do we <emphasis>not</emphasis> need a
	      repository copy?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>When there is no history to preserve.  If a port is
	      imported into a wrong category and is moved immediately,
	      it suffices to simply <command>cvs remove</command> the
	      old one and <command>cvs import</command> the new
	      one.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>What do I need to do?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>Send mail to the ports manager, who will do a copy
	      from the old location/name to the new location/name.
	      You will then get a notice, at which point you are
	      expected to perform the following:</para>

	    <procedure>
	      <step>
		<para><command>cvs remove</command> the old port (if
		  necessary)</para>
	      </step>

	      <step>
		<para>Adjust the parent (category)
		  <filename>Makefile</filename></para>
	      </step>

	      <step>
		<para>Update <filename>CVSROOT/modules</filename></para>
	      </step>

	      <step>
		<para>If other ports depend on the updated port,
		  change their <filename>Makefile</filename>s'
		  dependency lines</para>
	      </step>

	      <step>
		<para>If the port changed categories, modify the
		  <makevar>CATEGORIES</makevar> line of the port's
		  <filename>Makefile</filename> accordingly</para>
	      </step>
	    </procedure>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>
      </qandadiv>

      <qandadiv>
	<title>Ports Freeze</title>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>What is a <quote>ports freeze</quote>?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>Before a release, it is necessary to restrict
	      commits to the ports tree for a short period of time
	      while the packages and the release itself are being
	      built.  This is to ensure consistency among the various
	      parts of the release, and is called the <quote>ports
	      freeze</quote>.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>How long is a ports freeze?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>Usually two to three days.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>What does it mean to me?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>During the ports freeze, you are not allowed to
	      commit anything to the tree without explicit approval
	      from the ports manager.  <quote>Explicit
	      approval</quote> here means either of the
	      following:</para>

	    <itemizedlist>
	      <listitem>
		<para>You asked the ports manager and got a reply
		  saying, <quote>Go ahead and commit
		  it.</quote></para>
	      </listitem>

	      <listitem>
		<para>The ports manager sent a mail to you or the
		  mailing lists during the ports freeze pointing out
		  that the port is broken and has to be fixed.</para>
	      </listitem>
	    </itemizedlist>

	    <para>Note that you do not have implicit permission to fix
	      a port during the freeze just because it is
	      broken.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>How do I know when the ports freeze starts?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>The ports manager will send out warning messages to
	      the <email>freebsd-ports</email> and
	      <email>cvs-committers</email> mailing lists announcing
	      the start of the impending release, usually two or three
	      weeks in advance.  The exact starting time will not be
	      determined until a few days before the actual release.
	      This is because the ports freeze has to be synchronized
	      with the release, and it is usually not known until then
	      when exactly the release will be rolled.</para>

	    <para>When the freeze starts, there will be another
	      announcement to the <email>cvs-committers</email> list,
	      of course.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>How do I know when the ports freeze ends?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>A few hours after the release, the ports manager
	      will send out a mail to the <email>freebsd-ports</email>
	      and <email>cvs-committers</email> mailing lists
	      announcing the end of the ports freeze.  Note that the
	      release being cut does not automatically end the freeze.
	      We have to make sure there will not be any last minute
	      snafus that result in an immediate re-rolling of the
	      release.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>
      </qandadiv>

      <qandadiv>
	<title>Miscellaneous Questions</title>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>How do I know if my port is building correctly or
	      not?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>First, go check
	      <ulink url="http://bento.FreeBSD.org/~asami/errorlogs/">http://bento.FreeBSD.org/~asami/errorlogs/</ulink>.

	      There you will find error logs from the latest package
	      building runs on 3-stable and 4-current.</para>

	    <para>However, just because the port doesn't show up there
	      doesn't mean it's building correctly.  (One of the
	      dependencies may have failed, for instance.)  Here are
	      the relevant directories on bento, so feel free to dig
	      around.</para>

	    <programlisting> /a/asami/portbuild/3/errors        error logs from latest 3-stable run
                     /logs          all logs from latest 3-stable run
                     /packages      packages from latest 3-stable run
                     /bak/errors    error logs from last complete 3-stable run
                     /bak/logs      all logs from last complete 3-stable run
                     /bak/packages  packages from last complete 3-stable run
                   /4/errors        error logs from latest 4-current run
                     /logs          all logs from latest 4-current run
                     /packages      packages from latest 4-current run
                     /bak/errors    error logs from last complete 4-current run
                     /bak/logs      all logs from last complete 4-current run
                     /bak/packages  packages from last complete 4-current run
	    </programlisting>

	    <para>Basically, if the port shows up in
	      <filename>packages</filename>, or it is in
	      <filename>logs</filename> but not in
	      <filename>errors</filename>, it built fine.  (The
	      <filename>errors</filename> directories are what you get
	      from the web page.)</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>I added a new port.  Do I need to add it to the
	      <filename>INDEX</filename>?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>No.  The ports manager will regenerate the
	      <filename>INDEX</filename> and commit it every few
	      days.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>

	<qandaentry>
	  <question>
	    <para>Are there any other files I'm not allowed to
	      touch?</para>
	  </question>

	  <answer>
	    <para>Any file right under <filename>ports/</filename>, or
	      any file under a subdirectory that starts with an
	      uppercase letter (<filename>Mk</filename>,
	      <filename>Tools</filename>, etc.).  In particular, the
	      ports manager is very protective about
	      <filename>ports/Mk/bsd.port.mk</filename> so don't
	      commit changes to it unless you want to face his
	      wra(i)th.</para>
	  </answer>
	</qandaentry>
      </qandadiv>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1>
</article>