Tim Ansell asked me to write down some thoughts on improving the pywx client's accessibility for new developers. Having relatively recently experienced joining the project and having to puzzle through the structure of the client code, I think there are a few things that are already being done right and a few more that we could work on.
The most important resource for new developers is the more experienced developers, since they can explain nearly any portion of the code and provide personal assistance. We should have a note on the website or in a README in the code that explains the value of the mailing list and the IRC channel, as well as the names of those who might be of the most assistance. However, this cannot be the only resource for new developers, as the demands upon the more experienced could become overwhelming. Therefore, other more static assistance must be available. The first suggestion I would make involves the code itself. While much of it is rather self-explanatory and quite clean, it can still be overwhelming for new developers who do not know where to start or what to look for. Therefore, I recommend that we include a simple explanation of the basic file structure and a very brief description of the contents of each code file in a "DEVELOPERREADME.txt" or some such document. We should also make sure there are ample comments in the code itself, explaining each class and method and even pointing out other code files that are related to the class. Another useful tool for new developers is the bug tracker on Sourceforge.net. We should have a prominent link to it, and perhaps a category there related to "introductory tasks" that can be accomplished by programmers who are just learning the intricacies of the project. In the end, I think these will be worthwhile and will increase our retention of new developers. However, they will not necessarily attract new blood - a more extensive advertising and publicity campaign might be required for that, although the Google Summer of Code is a very good start. Please respond with feedback or your own ideas on getting new developers started. - Greywhind _______________________________________________ tp-devel mailing list [email protected] http://www.thousandparsec.net/tp/mailman.php/listinfo/tp-devel
