MyBB Community Forums

I'd like to start contributing code to MyBB by committing a simple patch to fix a bunch of typos (issue 1599). How can I get SVN access?

I read all the pages in the Development Wiki, but I didn't see anything about credentials. My community.mybb.com ones don't work:

(svn: MKACTIVITY of '/mybb/!svn/act/e501fcb6-bdc8-b949-a99f-7f45c234b1b4': authorization failed: Could not authenticate to server: rejected Basic challenge (http://svn.mybboard.net)                                                        

Would be nice if the wiki were updated with info on commit permissions. Thanks!

We don't just 'hand out' commit access to people, you'd need to apply to be a developer.

[wiki]Development#Becoming_a_Developer[/wiki]

(2011-07-05, 09:18 PM)MattRogowski Wrote: [ -> ]We don't just 'hand out' commit access to people, you'd need to apply to be a developer.

This is a bit different from the true spirit of open source (on GitHub I'd just issue a pull request), but sure - how do I apply?

(2011-07-05, 09:18 PM)MattRogowski Wrote: [ -> ][wiki]Development#Becoming_a_Developer[/wiki]

Yup, I read that, but beyond "The MyBB Development Team welcomes new developers every few months", there's no actionable information on how one can become a new developer.

(2011-07-05, 09:43 PM)faviouz Wrote: [ -> ]http://www.mybb.com/about/apply

Thanks faviouz, I've updated the Wiki page that Matt linked to. Can someone please update the SVN access page as well? (It's an official page and only MyBB staff can edit it).

So I read the application page, and I do fulfill the criteria, except I'm not sure about this one:

Quote:Able to dedicate time regularly to the project

I plan to be able to work on MyBB regularly for the next month, but after that I'm going to start working on another project, and I can't guarantee that I'll be able to dedicate time to MyBB consistently. Any information on how much time exactly are we talking about?

Is there another way to contribute code without the commitment of becoming a full MyBB dev? Do you guys have a way of accepting patches maybe, something like GitHub pull requests?

(2011-07-05, 09:43 PM)dandv Wrote: [ -> ]This is a bit different from the true spirit of open source

Wouldn't it cause a lot of trouble when everybody can change the MyBB code?

(2011-07-06, 04:39 AM)StefanT Wrote: [ -> ]

(2011-07-05, 09:43 PM)dandv Wrote: [ -> ]This is a bit different from the true spirit of open source

Wouldn't it cause a lot of trouble when everybody can change the MyBB code?

Sure. That's avoided by patches that get reviewed. I hate to repeat myself, but in GitHub, I could fork the code, commit a patch against my fork, then submit a pull request. But GitHub is out of the question for now (http://community.mybb.com/thread-63743-p...#pid714855).

Is there another process by which a random coder can contribute code (pending review)? That's what I mean by "true spirit of open source". Take Firefox, for example: you submit a patch, the module owner reviews it, then commits. https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Develop...it_a_Patch

The MyBB contribution model looks more like a mix between a closed company with employees (you have to apply to become a developer, and you must dedicate time; new developments are secret), and open-source (there IS a SVN repo).

As a developer who wants to contribute to MyBB, I find the process unnecessarily difficult and unfriendly (esp. the first reply to this thread of mine). Nobody wins. On the contrary - just as a random example, we already lost time by fixing the same bug twice today.

I just wanted to fix some typos. Do I really need to apply for a developer position to do that?

Please, make it easier for volunteers to contribute. Vanilla Forums, for example, uses GitHub for issue tracking and I already committed a simple fix. It would also be nice to be nicer to new contributors

EDIT: In the meantime, after needlessly spending time digging through the forum instead of finding this information on the wiki, it looks like the way to contribute is to attach patches in the bug tracker. If migrating to GitHub is impossible, please explain at http://wiki.mybb.com/index.php/Development:SVN_Access that there is no write access to SVN, and how to contribute patches.

(2011-07-06, 05:11 AM)dandv Wrote: [ -> ]That's avoided by patches that get reviewed.

SVN doesn't provide a similar feature... The development system wasn't designed for an open development process, that's why it is limited in some ways. Nevertheless I think it is really useful and we had no problems with it but there will be some changes soon.

You can contribute easily by posting patches on Redmine. A developer will review the code and he may commit it.

(2011-07-06, 06:18 AM)StefanT Wrote: [ -> ]You can contribute easily by posting patches on Redmine. A developer will review the code and he may commit it.

If you can't dedicate time to MyBB, this is the best method to take. We all love Github, but at the moment it isn't feasible for us to move there yet. We've looked into it half a dozen times or so.

Great, thanks!

Can someone please update http://wiki.mybb.com/index.php/Development:SVN_Access with this info? Something like:

Quote:To commit to SVN, please either [http://www.mybb.com/about/apply apply for a MyBB position], or submit a patch in the [[Development:Information_for_new_developers#Creating_the_ticket|bug tracker]].