Difference between revisions of "How you can help"

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{{languages|How you can help}}
 
{{languages|How you can help}}
How can you contribute to GRAMPS?
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How can you contribute to Gramps?
  
 
==Why we need help==
 
==Why we need help==
We have become victims of our own success. Over the past couple of years, GRAMPS has grown to thousands of users. Demands for support and enhancements are increasing each day. Unfortunately, the development team had not grown in the same manner. This year, over 90% of all commits have been done by five people.
+
We have become victims of our own success. Over the past couple of years, Gramps has grown to thousands of users. Demands for support and enhancements are increasing each day. Unfortunately, the development team had not grown in the same manner. This year, over 90% of all commits have been done by five people.
  
 
Forward progress on the project is slowing due to the increasing support load. In order to continue to support the needs of the community, we need additional support.
 
Forward progress on the project is slowing due to the increasing support load. In order to continue to support the needs of the community, we need additional support.
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; Improved GEDCOM import and export: It seems that no matter how hard we work at it, there is something that always needs to be improved. If you are a GEDCOM expert contact the developers.
 
; Improved GEDCOM import and export: It seems that no matter how hard we work at it, there is something that always needs to be improved. If you are a GEDCOM expert contact the developers.
 
; Resolving bug reports: Bug reports arrive all the time, often several a day. Resolving bug reports is a major way in which you can help the team to be able to spend more time enhancing the system.
 
; Resolving bug reports: Bug reports arrive all the time, often several a day. Resolving bug reports is a major way in which you can help the team to be able to spend more time enhancing the system.
; Integrate mapview (openstreetmap, google maps): with those tools available and the locations in GRAMPS there are tons of opportunities.  
+
; Integrate mapview (openstreetmap, google maps): with those tools available and the locations in Gramps there are tons of opportunities.  
 
; Profiling the application on large datasets, and speed improvements
 
; Profiling the application on large datasets, and speed improvements
 
; Import data, merging duplicates: if more sources are used and data is imported from those sources, it is sometimes very hard to find duplicate data.   
 
; Import data, merging duplicates: if more sources are used and data is imported from those sources, it is sometimes very hard to find duplicate data.   
  
 
==Web 2.0==
 
==Web 2.0==
The new buzzword: '''Web2.0'''. Some '''collaboration''' added to GRAMPS would be great obviously. People who build webapplications could certainly help us enormously. The idea is to have a webbased tool that could export .gramps files (independant of GRAMPS or just other developers) and would have the possibility to move back and forth. A sort of import with an automatic merge would be really, really, needed. This is '''the one recurring theme''' in comments on GRAMPS .
+
The new buzzword: '''Web2.0'''. Some '''collaboration''' added to Gramps would be great obviously. People who build webapplications could certainly help us enormously. The idea is to have a webbased tool that could export .gramps files (independant of Gramps or just other developers) and would have the possibility to move back and forth. A sort of import with an automatic merge would be really, really, needed. This is '''the one recurring theme''' in comments on Gramps .
  
 
==But what if I don't know how to program?==
 
==But what if I don't know how to program?==
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; Help with interface testing: Either testing the interface by hand, or help writing dogtail tests for automated testing.
 
; Help with interface testing: Either testing the interface by hand, or help writing dogtail tests for automated testing.
 
; Write tutorials on wiki: Here is where you can make '''the most valuable contributions'''.
 
; Write tutorials on wiki: Here is where you can make '''the most valuable contributions'''.
As a user you can best explain how you go about and sharing this knowledge is a great thing to do. As a user of GRAMPS, you will gain knowledge of the reports, how they work, and how they can be made better.
+
As a user you can best explain how you go about and sharing this knowledge is a great thing to do. As a user of Gramps, you will gain knowledge of the reports, how they work, and how they can be made better.
  
 
{{man tip|1=Wiki manual|2=Please enhance the {{man label|Wiki}} - particularly the manual section.}}
 
{{man tip|1=Wiki manual|2=Please enhance the {{man label|Wiki}} - particularly the manual section.}}
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; Develop screencasts: [http://www.unixuser.org/~euske/vnc2swf/ vnc2swf], [http://recordmydesktop.sourceforge.net/ recordmydesktop], [http://live.gnome.org/Istanbul Istanbul], [http://www.tortall.net/mu/wiki/Cankiri Cankiri], [http://www.techmag.biz/capturing_screen_VLC_screencasting VLC], [http://xvidcap.sourceforge.net/ xvidcap], gifsicle or [http://www.swftools.org/ SWFTools] programs can be used to create screen movies that could be used to show people how to perform different tasks. [http://imagination.sourceforge.net/ Imagination] and [http://www.openshot.org/ OpenShot] could help us to generate a video with some screenshots addition.
 
; Develop screencasts: [http://www.unixuser.org/~euske/vnc2swf/ vnc2swf], [http://recordmydesktop.sourceforge.net/ recordmydesktop], [http://live.gnome.org/Istanbul Istanbul], [http://www.tortall.net/mu/wiki/Cankiri Cankiri], [http://www.techmag.biz/capturing_screen_VLC_screencasting VLC], [http://xvidcap.sourceforge.net/ xvidcap], gifsicle or [http://www.swftools.org/ SWFTools] programs can be used to create screen movies that could be used to show people how to perform different tasks. [http://imagination.sourceforge.net/ Imagination] and [http://www.openshot.org/ OpenShot] could help us to generate a video with some screenshots addition.
 
Also, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium W3C] work on specifications for [http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/ Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language] and a video markup could be added on [http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/#video HTML5].
 
Also, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium W3C] work on specifications for [http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/ Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language] and a video markup could be added on [http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/#video HTML5].
; Provide a translation: GRAMPS supports many languages, but the more languages we support, the more we serve our community. See also [[Portal:Translators| Translators]]
+
; Provide a translation: Gramps supports many languages, but the more languages we support, the more we serve our community. See also [[Portal:Translators| Translators]]
; Package the program for a distribution: Installing GRAMPS from source code is more than most new users can handle. If you can provide a package for your system, it will make it easier for new users to starting using GRAMPS.
+
; Package the program for a distribution: Installing Gramps from source code is more than most new users can handle. If you can provide a package for your system, it will make it easier for new users to starting using Gramps.
 
; Participate on the [[:Contact#Mailing_Lists|mailing lists]]: If the users of the community can answer each others questions, it can significantly reduce the load on the developers.
 
; Participate on the [[:Contact#Mailing_Lists|mailing lists]]: If the users of the community can answer each others questions, it can significantly reduce the load on the developers.
  

Revision as of 06:19, 11 February 2013

How can you contribute to Gramps?

Why we need help

We have become victims of our own success. Over the past couple of years, Gramps has grown to thousands of users. Demands for support and enhancements are increasing each day. Unfortunately, the development team had not grown in the same manner. This year, over 90% of all commits have been done by five people.

Forward progress on the project is slowing due to the increasing support load. In order to continue to support the needs of the community, we need additional support.

What you can do to help

Below is a list of programming tasks that we need to have accomplished. If you can help, please let us know.

Improved GEDCOM import and export
It seems that no matter how hard we work at it, there is something that always needs to be improved. If you are a GEDCOM expert contact the developers.
Resolving bug reports
Bug reports arrive all the time, often several a day. Resolving bug reports is a major way in which you can help the team to be able to spend more time enhancing the system.
Integrate mapview (openstreetmap, google maps)
with those tools available and the locations in Gramps there are tons of opportunities.
Profiling the application on large datasets, and speed improvements
Import data, merging duplicates
if more sources are used and data is imported from those sources, it is sometimes very hard to find duplicate data.

Web 2.0

The new buzzword: Web2.0. Some collaboration added to Gramps would be great obviously. People who build webapplications could certainly help us enormously. The idea is to have a webbased tool that could export .gramps files (independant of Gramps or just other developers) and would have the possibility to move back and forth. A sort of import with an automatic merge would be really, really, needed. This is the one recurring theme in comments on Gramps .

But what if I don't know how to program?

Even if you don't know how to program, you can still help out with the project. You can:

Develop database test cases
We need sample databases that handle all the features of the program.
Help with interface testing
Either testing the interface by hand, or help writing dogtail tests for automated testing.
Write tutorials on wiki
Here is where you can make the most valuable contributions.

As a user you can best explain how you go about and sharing this knowledge is a great thing to do. As a user of Gramps, you will gain knowledge of the reports, how they work, and how they can be made better.

Tango-Dialog-information.png
Wiki manual

Please enhance the Wiki - particularly the manual section.


How I do ..., Tutorials, Tips, Screencasts.

Develop screencasts
vnc2swf, recordmydesktop, Istanbul, Cankiri, VLC, xvidcap, gifsicle or SWFTools programs can be used to create screen movies that could be used to show people how to perform different tasks. Imagination and OpenShot could help us to generate a video with some screenshots addition.

Also, W3C work on specifications for Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language and a video markup could be added on HTML5.

Provide a translation
Gramps supports many languages, but the more languages we support, the more we serve our community. See also Translators
Package the program for a distribution
Installing Gramps from source code is more than most new users can handle. If you can provide a package for your system, it will make it easier for new users to starting using Gramps.
Participate on the mailing lists
If the users of the community can answer each others questions, it can significantly reduce the load on the developers.