(recode.info)Contributing

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Contributions and bug reports
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   Even being the `recode' author and current maintainer, I am no
specialist in charset standards.  I only made `recode' along the years
to solve my own needs, but felt it was applicable for the needs of
others.  Some FSF people liked the program structure and suggested to
make it more widely available.  I often rely on `recode' users
suggestions to decide what is best to be done next.

   Properly protecting `recode' about possible copyright fights is a
pain for me and for contributors, but we cannot avoid addressing the
issue in the long run.  Besides, the Free Software Foundation, which
mandates the GNU project, is very sensible to this matter.  GNU
standards suggest that we stay cautious before looking at copyrighted
code.  The safest and simplest way for me is to gather ideas and
reprogram them anew, even if this might slow me down considerably.  For
contributions going beyond a few lines of code here and there, the FSF
definitely requires employer disclaimers and copyright assignments in
writing.

   When you contribute something to `recode', _please_ explain what it
is about.  Do not take for granted that I know those charsets which are
familiar to you.  Once again, I'm no expert, and you have to help me.
Your explanations could well find their way into this documentation,
too.  Also, for contributing new charsets or new surfaces, as much as
possible, please provide good, solid, verifiable references for the
tables you used(1).

   Many users contributed to `recode' already, I am grateful to them for
their interest and involvement.  Some suggestions can be integrated
quickly while some others have to be delayed, I have to draw a line
somewhere when time comes to make a new release, about what would go in
it and what would go in the next.

   Please send suggestions, documentation errors and bug reports to
<recode-bugs@iro.umontreal.ca> or, if you prefer, directly to
<pinard@iro.umontreal.ca>, Franc,ois Pinard.  Do not be afraid to
report details, because this program is the mere aggregation of
hundreds of details.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) I'm not prone at accepting a charset you just invented, and
which nobody uses yet: convince your friends and community first!