How to Participate

If you would like to participate in the community then there are a number of ways in which you can do so. The sections below indicate the main activities and contributions you can make.

As contributions are generally directed towards a specific project you can use the 'Contribution Portlet' located on each Project page to remind you of the steps you need to take together with any instructions that you may need to follow.

Helping Others in the Forums          

Helping others to use JBoss projects productively or configure them correctly are two simple examples of how a small amount of effort can make a big difference. The User Forums are the best kind of place to give such help as they catalogue any discussions that take place and can often be used as a valuable source of information for other users facing similar problems. If you are interested in the ongoing development of a project then the Developer Forums are the place to go. Project teams often discuss new features or changes to existing code here so you can always contribute an idea or two.

Sharing information in the Wiki

If you have a tip or trick that you want to share with the community or perhaps a good example of how to use a certain feature of a project then creating or editing a wiki article is the best way to go. The wiki acts as a central repository for project related documentation that is compiled by the community for the community.

Testing new releases for bugs

Testing new releases is a very valuable contribution that you can make if you are interested in ensuring the ongoing quality of the software. Since all projects follow a release-early, release often development process there are plenty of opportunities to make sure that the next version of a project will work as expected when it reaches the General Availability (GA) release.

Contributing bug fixes, unit tests or new features

The more involved with a project you become the more likely it is that you may want to contribute bug fixes, unit tests or even new features. These kinds of contributions help ensure that the software works exactly as you would expect and gives you the functionality that you need. If your contributions demonstrate a high level of quality and integrity then you will be given the option to have write access  to the source code repository allowing you to check-in your changes whenever you like.

Attending or hosting a JBUG meeting

If you prefer to meet with people face-to-face or if you simply want to find out about interest in a JBoss project in your local area then JBoss User Groups (JBUGS) are the place to go. JBUGS are held in many cities around the world and provide a place where you can find out about the latest JBoss news and hear talks on other interesting topics. Simply turning up and taking part is making a contribution and if you have something particularly important to say then you can apply to host one of the talks yourself. For contact details and a list of current JBUG events please see this page.