[Checkins] SVN: devhome/trunk/source/ updated

[Andreas Jung]

Log message for revision 97150:
  updated
  

Changed:
  A   devhome/trunk/source/Contributor.pdf
  A   devhome/trunk/source/contributor-faq.rst
  U   devhome/trunk/source/index.rst

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Added: devhome/trunk/source/contributor-faq.rst
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--- devhome/trunk/source/contributor-faq.rst	                        (rev 0)
+++ devhome/trunk/source/contributor-faq.rst	2009-02-23 12:09:36 UTC (rev 97150)
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+Contributor FAQ
+---------------
+
+
+Zope Corporation (ZC) is opening the Zope Subversion repository to allow checkins
+from external contributors.  This document provides answers to
+frequently asked questions about the Zope Subversion approach and policies
+for contributors.
+
+How do I become a contributor?
+
+    Contributors generally start out by first participating in discussions
+    and contributing patches, becoming known in the community.  Start by
+    first playing with Zope via ReadOnlyAccess and joining the 
+    `Zope developers mailing list <http://lists.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope3-dev>`_.
+    Once you get oriented, and realize you want to and can contribute via Subversion,
+    ask on the Zope3-dev list or to one of the existing contributors about
+    getting commit access.  If the developers see a fit they will invite you
+    to join.  (See ContributorIntroduction for more background.)
+
+    Once invited, please fill out the `Zope Contributor Agreement
+    <Contributor.pdf>`_ and mail the signed copy to the address on the form.  ZC
+    will then create a Subversion login for you, add you to the committers mailing
+    list, and send you instructions for setting up your commit access.  Note that
+    your authenticated Subversion commits are considered ongoing legal acceptance
+    of the terms for contribution.
+
+Why do you require a real signature?
+
+    Good question.  The Python community does not require this, but
+    the Mozilla community does.  We're choosing the latter example as
+    closer to the goals for commercial legal integrity of Zope.
+    Issues of legal status and indemnity are important to ZC and to
+    business interests in the Zope community.
+
+What is the joint ownership model?
+
+    When a group of people work together on a software project, the
+    resulting material is available under some kind of terms.  In some
+    cases, the code is just available with no statement of ownership
+    status.
+
+    For many open source projects, the contributor *licenses* their
+    contribution to the project but retains the ownership.  Examples
+    include Apache, Mozilla, and Python.  In a few open source
+    projects, however, there is some organizing legal entity like a
+    corporation and contributors assign their intellectual property to
+    this entity.  Sun takes this approach, so we're told, on
+    OpenOffice.
+
+    These different approaches have problems, either legal or
+    political.  Hadar Pedhazur at ZC thought up a new approach that
+    draws from a sound background of case law.  Namely, the
+    contributor and ZC will have joint ownership of the contibutions.
+    Importantly, ZC will always ensure the contribution will be
+    available under the open source ZPL license.
+
+What if Zope Corporation gets bought by a Mean Company and takes all the work closed source?
+
+    Essentially, nothing more than would happen now.  ZC can't change
+    the rules on currently-released software.  So the horse is out of
+    the barn and can't be put back in.  Also, the Mean Corporation is
+    just as able to make a closed source product under the previous
+    model as they would under this new model.  Of course, in any model
+    (except GPL), future contributions can be released under any
+    terms.
+
+Can I provide my contributions under a different license, as stated in the License section of the Zope Contributor Agreement?
+
+    In summary, yes but no.  You don't pick the license that you use
+    when you give it to us.  Rather, we pick the license to give it to
+    others (for our 1/2), and that license is the ZPL.  You, however,
+    can pick any license in the world to give the code to anyone other
+    than us.
+
+    This language about a different acceptible license is there in
+    case we decide at some point to change from the ZPL to a different
+    open source license.
+
+Does someone have to jump through all these legal hoops just to submit a small patch?
+
+    The contributor agreement certainly is a heavy process for someone
+    that wants to make a small contribution, such as a patch.  These
+    contributions are just as important to the health of an open
+    source project as major code work.  Thus, Zope should encourage
+    patch contributions, not create an enormous disincentive.  At the
+    same time, integrity of the code base needs to be maintained.
+
+    For small contributions, simply supply them through a
+    communications channel such as the bug tracker or the mailing
+    lists.  Alternatively, contact a committer or ZC directly.  A
+    committer will then review the patch and assume the legal issues
+    of committing it themselves.  Likely they will contact the patch
+    submitter and get a confirmation that the patch can be used.
+
+    The committers will have some guidelines on recognizing when it is
+    reasonable to accept a patch.  It should be clear when something
+    has little basis for being deemed intellectual property, versus a
+    major change with advanced algorithms.
+
+

Modified: devhome/trunk/source/index.rst
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--- devhome/trunk/source/index.rst	2009-02-23 12:02:19 UTC (rev 97149)
+++ devhome/trunk/source/index.rst	2009-02-23 12:09:36 UTC (rev 97150)
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
    subversion-readonly-checkouts
    subversion-writable-checkouts
    becoming-a-contributor
+   contributor-faq
 
 Indices and tables
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