Contributing to netbeans
You probably know that NetBeans is an open
source project. Open source projects are primarily community driven,
although companies may make commercial products from these projects. Open
source projects encourage everyone in the community to contribute their
knowledge and expertise and, in turn, everyone in the community benefits.
For example, when the community contributes enhancement requests or submits
bug reports, fixes or enhancements are implemented to improve the tools, and
everyone benefits. Because NetBeans is open source, you can influence what
happens to the IDE and the direction for NetBeans' future growth
Contributing code is not the only way to help NetBeans! Read our list below
for other ways you can help the community.
Community Support, Promotion
- Participate on Mailing Lists
There are several mailing lists
and newsgroups at netbeans, where people using the software can benefit
from each others' expertise. To really be useful, community lists need your
input! Please don't be afraid to post - help others when you can!
- Link to NetBeans
Add a small NetBeans icon to your site or your RCP application's About screen,
and link to netbeans. If you're interested, you can also sign up for the
Move the Needle
programme, to track how many visitors you are sending this way.
- Promote NetBeans!
If you're a NetBeans user, speak out! There's a lot of competition
out there, and many developers haven't heard of NetBeans, or worse, have
heard of it but have misconceptions, or haven't heard about recent
improvements. Help spread the word - talk about NetBeans strenghts, and
weaknesses, on blogs, industry mailing lists, print magazines and forums.
You found (or wrote) a NetBeans-related article or review?
We'd love to read it!
Submit Content, Translations
- Contribute Website Content
You figured out how to solve a tricky use-case?
New
content or updates to existing content are always welcome! Articles
like FAQs and HOWTOs are very very helpful, as are screenshots and Flash movies. See the
following links for more info:
Guidelines to contributing tutorials,
contributing screenshots.
Use this free
webspace for your contributed demos.
- Translations, Localisations
Are you interested in efforts to localise web site content, or the IDE
itself, in your native language? We and your fellowmen would appreciate your help! See the
Localisation Quick Start page for info.
Some community members already created
forums
in various languages, and now help others
get started with Java and NetBeans.
- Edit the Newsletter, Submit Stories for The Edge
The weekly NetBeans Newsletter
is put together by volunteers involved in NetBeans - if you're
following current events on the mailing lists you could edit a
newsletter! The monthly Edge
newsletter is always looking for contributing authors to write an interview,
an article, partner spotlights ... if you'd like to submit a story, please
get in touch.
Also if you heard of an event or conference in your area where NetBeans is used,
drop us a note
and we'll advertise it in our event calendar.
Submit Bug Reports, Write Code
- File a Bug Report
Bug reports are very helpful to developers, and a great way to contribute
to the project! Remember to take a little time when
filing a bug report - make sure you can
reproduce the problem, and be very explicit in your description.
- File an Enhancement Request
If there's something you'd like to see in the IDE and don't, or
something you can imagine improving, let us know! Enhancement requests
should be filed in the issue tracking system,
the same as for bugs.
- Contributing Code and Plugin Modules
As mentioned above, NetBeans is an open-source project - all of the
source code is available, and if there's a feature you'd like to see, or a
bug you'd like to see fixed, you have the power to make that happen.
You can learn more about developing plugin modules,
contributing patches and
contributing plugin modules.
Publish your plugin modules in the Plugin Portal
and get feedback from your fellow community members!
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