Getting Started
From ReactOS
There are many different ways to get involved with ReactOS:
Contents |
Using ReactOS
You might just be interested in the OS itself, and the possibilities it offers, in which case you want to download and install ReactOS. ReactOS is still in alpha stage and is not recommended for everyday use.
Testing ReactOS
You can assist the ReactOS development effort by installing the latest version and providing feedback on issues/problems you encountered during and after installing the OS, including problems with applications. Keep in mind that many applications do not work (correctly) because many API calls simply haven't been implemented yet, and thus can't be marked as a bug per se. Please report bugs at the Bugzilla. For further reading please use this HOWTO.
Developing ReactOS
The ReactOS team is not an exclusive club where you gain membership. To get into the development team there's no formal process. This section serves to show how you can get active in the project, even if it's not with regards to submitting code:
- Discussion Read and post to the forums and subscribe to the relevant mailing lists to keep up with the latest developments, contribute to discussions and get answers and advice.
- Documentation The Library contains volumes of information to assist you. Start off by reading the Introducing ReactOS book.
Writers
The ReactOS Wiki (This Wiki) contains user, developer and administrator documentation, as well as knowledge base articles. Well written documentation is essential to everyone who participates in the project and uses ReactOS.
Newsletter Author
Here are requirements for an author:
- Have enough time once a week to write the newsletter text (e.g. every sunday)
- Be good with the English language
- Understand our technlogy (svn, reactos, windows nt, win32, kernel, drivers, apps, etc.)
- Be in frequent contact with the ReactOS developer, and come in our IRC channels too (because mailing list traffic may be sometimes slow)
- HTML knowledge is not required but an advantage
More Information: http://www.reactos.org/archives/public/ros-dev/2006-June/008421.html
Infrastructure
A well-run project depends on their being solid and usable infrastructure: website, mailing lists, bug tracking system, documentation systems and others. Those people with UNIX skills and experience with these systems could assist here.
Other
There are many other things you can do for the project: spreading the word about the project, subscribing to the mailing lists and giving feedback on various issues and creating localized sites about ReactOS are examples.Translating ReactOS or this wiki itself into your local language.
