Re: contributing instructions are misleading!

[Carl Peterson]

On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 10:35 PM, Graham Percival <address@hidden> wrote

Fixing this doesn't require a reorganization.  It requires
deleting the two incorrect bits, dumping a @ref{Submitting a
patch} or whatever the @node is called.  On a similar note,
there's at least 2 "checklists before submitting a patch", at
least 1 of which has obsolete info.

It may not "require" a reorganization, but is there a clearer, more concise way of presenting the information to where there is "one truth" and we can say, "if you want to contribute, go to this page for the process"? I think there needs to be a page that just outlines the basic process and branches based on what people are doing/using.

For instance, trying to synthesize the information in broad strokes (and I could be missing, misstating, or overgeneralizing something):

1) You need to be running Linux.

   1.1: If you aren't using Linux, you can run Linux within your current operating system with LilyDev by following these instructions [link]

   1.2: If you're already running Linux, great! Here's how to make sure you have all the packages and tools needed to work on LilyPond [link]

2) You need to connect to the git repository and download the source files. To understand what git is, go here [link].

   2.1: If you are using the command line, go here [link]

   2.2: If you are not comfortable using the command line, go here to download lily-git.tcl [link]

3) Once you have downloaded the files, begin making your edits. Go here to see some of our development policies and practices [link]

4) As you edit the code, you will need to make one or more local commits to your code, to record your changes in a way that can be eventually integrated into the official source.

   4.1: If you are using the command line, go here [link]

   4.2: If you are using lily-git.tcl, go here [link]

5) When you finish editing, you need to create patch files that represent the changes you made

   5.1: If you are using the command line, go here [link]

   5.2: If you are using lily-git.tcl, go here [link]

6) With your patch files ready, go here for directions on how to upload your changes for review and eventually submit them to the source code [link]

In my searching, I didn't find a page that really did this. Section 1.2 of the current CG should theoretically do this (based on the title), but it mostly just talks philosophically about git.

Cheers,

Carl