\input texinfo  @c -*-texinfo-*-

@c This file is in Texinfo format.
@c If for some reason you do not have the formatted version available,
@c this file is more or less readable as plain text.
@c Skip to the line beginning "@node Introduction".

@c %**start of header
@setfilename ../info/beta.info
@settitle Info on beta versions of XEmacs
@direntry
* Beta: (beta).      Info on beta versions of XEmacs.
@end direntry
@c footnotestyle separate
@c paragraphindent 2
@c %**end of header

@ifinfo
This file describes info relevant to beta versions of XEmacs.

Copyright @copyright{} 2005 Ben Wing.
Copyright @copyright{} 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

This file is part of XEmacs.

XEmacs is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
later version.

XEmacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with XEmacs; see the file COPYING.  If not, write to
the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
@end ifinfo

@c Combine indices.
@syncodeindex fn cp
@syncodeindex vr cp
@syncodeindex ky cp
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@setchapternewpage odd
@finalout

@titlepage
@title Info on beta versions of XEmacs

@author XEmacs Development Team
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1fill

@noindent
Copyright @copyright{} 2006 Free Software Foundation. @*
Copyright @copyright{} 2005 Ben Wing. @*

This file is part of XEmacs.

XEmacs is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
later version.

XEmacs is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with XEmacs; see the file COPYING.  If not, write to
the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
@end titlepage
@page

@ifinfo
@node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
This Info file describes info relevant to beta versions of XEmacs.
@menu
* Introduction::                
* Building Beta XEmacs::        
* Packages::                    
* Reporting Problems::          
* Improving XEmacs::            
* Index::                       

@detailmenu
 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Introduction

* Mailing Lists::               
* Beta Release Schedule::       

Mailing Lists

* XEmacs Beta Mailing List::    
* XEmacs Patches Mailing List::  
* XEmacs Design Mailing List::  
* List Administrivia::          
* Managing your subscription via the Web::  
* Subscribing by e-mail::       
* Unsubscribing by e-mail::     

Building Beta XEmacs

* Getting the Source::          
* Building an XEmacs from patches::  
* Building XEmacs from a full distribution::  

Packages

* Binary package installation::  
* Manual procedures for package management::  
* Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch::  

Improving XEmacs

* Creating patches for submission::  
* Large contributions::         

Creating patches for submission

* Patch discussion etiquette::  

Large contributions

* Updates to existing packages::  
* New packages::                
* Syncing with GNU Emacs::      

@end detailmenu
@end menu

@end ifinfo


@node Introduction, Building Beta XEmacs, Top, Top
@chapter Introduction

You are running a potentially unstable version of XEmacs.  Please do
not report problems with Beta XEmacs to comp.emacs.xemacs.  Report
them to @uref{mailto:xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org}, preferably with 
@kbd{M-x report-xemacs-bug RET}. 

@menu
* Mailing Lists::               
* Beta Release Schedule::       
@end menu


@node Mailing Lists, Beta Release Schedule, Introduction, Introduction
@section Mailing Lists

@menu
* XEmacs Beta Mailing List::    
* XEmacs Patches Mailing List::  
* XEmacs Design Mailing List::  
* List Administrivia::          
* Managing your subscription via the Web::  
* Subscribing by e-mail::       
* Unsubscribing by e-mail::     
@end menu


@node XEmacs Beta Mailing List, XEmacs Patches Mailing List, Mailing Lists, Mailing Lists
@subsection XEmacs Beta Mailing List

If you are not subscribed to the XEmacs beta list you should be.
Currently all discussion of development issues, including bug reports
and coding discussion, takes place on the XEmacs Beta mailing list.
Only patches and administrative actions regarding patches are sent
elsewhere (to the XEmacs Patches list).


@node XEmacs Patches Mailing List, XEmacs Design Mailing List, XEmacs Beta Mailing List, Mailing Lists
@subsection XEmacs Patches Mailing List

XEmacs Patches records proposed changes to XEmacs, and their
disposition.  It is open subscription, and all patches that are
seriously proposed for inclusion in XEmacs should be posted here.  You
can follow progress of your patch by subscribing to the mailing list
or in the archives.

Besides patches, only actions by members of the XEmacs Review Board
should be posted to this list.  All discussion should be redirected to
XEmacs Beta or XEmacs Design.


@node XEmacs Design Mailing List, List Administrivia, XEmacs Patches Mailing List, Mailing Lists
@subsection XEmacs Design Mailing List

XEmacs Design is for design discussions such as adding major features
or whole modules, or reimplementation of existing functions, to XEmacs.

@node List Administrivia, Managing your subscription via the Web, XEmacs Design Mailing List, Mailing Lists
@subsection List Administrivia

In the descriptions below, the word LIST (all uppercase) is a
variable.  Substitute "beta", "design", or "patches" as appropriate
(to get "xemacs-beta" as the mailbox for the XEmacs Beta mailing list,
or @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-beta} for its URL).

The XEmacs mailing lists are managed by the Mailman mailing list package,
and the usual Mailman commands work.  Do not send mailing list requests to
the main address (@uref{mailto:xemacs-LIST@@xemacs.org}), always send them
to @uref{mailto:xemacs-LIST-request@@xemacs.org}.  If you have problems with
the list itself, they should be brought to the attention of the XEmacs
Mailing List manager @uref{mailto:list-manager@@xemacs.org} (the same
mailbox, "list-manager", for all lists).  All public mailing lists have
searchable archives.  The URL is

	     @uref{http://list-archive.xemacs.org/xemacs-LIST}

Note that the xemacs-LIST-admin address is used internally by the
Mailman software; it is NOT a synonym for xemacs-LIST-request.


@node Managing your subscription via the Web, Subscribing by e-mail, List Administrivia, Mailing Lists
@subsection Managing your subscription via the Web

Subscription, unsubscription, and options (such as digests and
temporarily suspending delivery) can be accomplished via the web
interface at @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Lists/#xemacs-LIST}.


@node Subscribing by e-mail, Unsubscribing by e-mail, Managing your subscription via the Web, Mailing Lists
@subsection Subscribing by e-mail

Send an email message to @uref{mailto:xemacs-LIST-request@@xemacs.org} with
@samp{subscribe} (without the quotes) as the BODY of the message.


@node Unsubscribing by e-mail,  , Subscribing by e-mail, Mailing Lists
@subsection Unsubscribing by e-mail

Send an email message to @uref{mailto:xemacs-LIST-request@@xemacs.org} with
@samp{unsubscribe} (without the quotes) as the BODY of the message.


@node Beta Release Schedule,  , Mailing Lists, Introduction
@section Beta Release Schedule

We would like to achieve a weekly or fortnightly release cycle (you
know the Open Source model: release early, release often), and in a
perfect world that would indeed be the case.  There are at least three
things that often get in the way of that goal: 1) The Release Manager
has a life outside of XEmacs (hard to believe, I know, but true), 
2) we like to make releases that will build (at least on the Release
Manager's box), and 3) Murphy likes to throw a spanner in the works
right when you least expect it (Murphy's Law: Whatever can go wrong,
will go wrong).

If you'd like to keep right up to date and ride the bleeding edge, use
CVS (see @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Develop/cvsaccess.html}).  If you
can't use CVS for some reason and must use FTP, please let us know.
it will make it more likely that we release betas more often.


@node Building Beta XEmacs, Packages, Introduction, Top
@chapter Building Beta XEmacs

@menu
* Getting the Source::          
* Building an XEmacs from patches::  
* Building XEmacs from a full distribution::  
@end menu


@node Getting the Source, Building an XEmacs from patches, Building Beta XEmacs, Building Beta XEmacs
@section Getting the Source

We provide the traditional tarballs and release-to-release patchkits for
each beta release.  @xref{Beta Release Schedule}.  These are available
at

	    @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/beta/}

In addition to the normal tar distribution, XEmacs source is now
available via CVS.  Please see

	    @uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Develop/cvsaccess.html}

You can also browse the repository via ViewCVS

            @uref{http://cvs.xemacs.org/}


@node Building an XEmacs from patches, Building XEmacs from a full distribution, Getting the Source, Building Beta XEmacs
@section Building an XEmacs from patches

All beta releases of XEmacs provide patches from the previous version as
an alternative to keep bandwidth requirements down.  These patches are
actually scripts generated by the @file{makepatch} program, and can be
run if you have the @file{applypatch} program.  Patches may also be
applied with the GNU patch program in something like the following.
Let's say you're upgrading XEmacs 21.5-beta9 to XEmacs 21.5-beta10 and
you have a full unmodified XEmacs 21.5-beta9 source tree to work with.
Change to the top level directory and issue the shell command:

@example
$ gunzip -c /tmp/xemacs-21.5.9-21.5.10.patch.gz | patch -p1
@end example

After patching, check to see that no patches were missed by doing

@example
$ find . -name \*.rej -print
@end example

Any rejections should be treated as serious problems to be resolved
before building XEmacs.

After seeing that there were no rejections, issue the commands

@example
$ ./config.status --recheck
$ make beta > ./beta.err 2>&1
$ make check > ./xemacs-make-check.err 2>&1
@end example

Redirect the output from make to those files because you'll use them
later when you send off a build report with @kbd{M-x build-report RET}


@node Building XEmacs from a full distribution,  , Building an XEmacs from patches, Building Beta XEmacs
@section Building XEmacs from a full distribution

@enumerate
@item
Locate a convenient place where you have at least 200MB of free space
(approximately 100MB for sources and compiled Lisp, and 100MB for
objects and other generated files) and issue the command

@example
$ gunzip -c /tmp/xemacs-21.5.10.tar.gz | tar xvf -
@end example

(or simply @code{tar zxvf /tmp/xemacs-21.5.10.tar.gz} if you use GNU tar).

@item
cd to the top level directory and issue an appropriate configure
command.

@item
Run @code{configure}.  If you are new, just consider running it with no
options, to see if you can get a successful build.  When you are more
experienced, you should put various flags in.  Here is what we suggest:

@enumerate
@item
It's a good idea to use

@example
--enable-debug
--enable-memory-usage-stats
--enable-error-checking=all
@end example

These turn on extra debugging info and checks.  The last one in particular
will add a great deal of extra error-checking -- which will slow your XEmacs
down somewhat but is likely to catch bugs much sooner and make your bug
reports much more useful.

@item
You should also strongly consider

@example
--enable-mule
--enable-kkcc
--enable-pdump
--enable-clash-detection
--with-wmcommand
--with-xfs
@end example

These turn on optional features, which can always use testing.

@item
If you have gcc, consider using

@example
--with-compiler=gcc
--with-xemacs-compiler=g++
@end example

This will compile XEmacs using g++, which is generally much stricter
about type-checking than C compilers like gcc.

@item
If your packages are not installed under /usr/local, you should add a
line like

@example
--with-package-path=~/.xemacs::/xemacs/site-packages:/xemacs/xemacs-packages:/xemacs/mule-packages
@end example

@item
If you want to build multiple configurations from the same source
tree, make separate build directories for each configuration, run
@code{configure} from the top level of these (currently empty)
directories and use an option like

@example
--srcdir=/xemacs/source-tree
@end example

(or wherever your source tree is).  This will magically create symlinks and
populate your build directory.

@item
Use --with-site-prefixes (or --with-site-includes and
---with-site-libraries) if you have some packages that XEmacs can
compile with that are located in an unusual place.  For example:

@example
--with-site-prefixes=/usr/local/pgsql:/usr/local/BerkeleyDB.4.1
@end example

@item
Depending on your build environment, consider setting or not setting
options for menubars, scrollbars, window systems, native sound, etc.  If
you're not sure, leave them out and let configure do the auto-detection.
(If you get bugs compiling GTK, use @code{--with-gtk=no --with-gnome=no}.)

Part of the configure output is a summary that looks something
like the following.  (this summary is also available as the file
'Installation' in the top directory of your build tree, and via
the command @kbd{M-x describe-installation RET}).

@example
uname -a: Darwin laptop.local 7.7.0 Darwin Kernel Version 7.7.0: Sun Nov  7 16:06:51 PST 2004; root:xnu/xnu-517.9.5.obj~1/RELEASE_PPC  Power Macintosh powerpc

./configure '--with-site-prefixes=/sw' '--without-ldap' '--with-dynamic=yes' '--with-gtk=no' '--with-gnome=no' '--enable-toolbars' '--with-wmcommand' '--with-athena=3d' '--enable-menubars=lucid' '--enable-scrollbars=athena' '--enable-dialogs=athena' '--enable-widgets=athena' '--with-gif' '--enable-sound=native,noesd' '--with-site-lisp=no' '--with-site-modules' '--enable-pdump' '--enable-mule' '--with-xfs' '--enable-debug' '--enable-error-checking=all' '--enable-memory-usage-stats' '--enable-kkcc' '--enable-clash-detection'


XEmacs 21.5-b19 "chives" (+CVS-20050226) configured for `powerpc-apple-darwin7.7.0'.

  WARNING: --------------------------------------------------------------
  WARNING: This was produced from a new autoconf-2.5 based configuration.
  WARNING: If this configuration seems buggy then copy etc/configure-2.13
  WARNING: to configure and try again.  Also please report the bug.
  WARNING: --------------------------------------------------------------

Compilation Environment and Installation Defaults:
  Source code location:              /usr/local/src/xemacs
  Installation prefix:               /usr/local
  Additional prefixes:               /sw
  Operating system description file: `s/darwin.h'
  Machine description file:          `m/powerpc.h'
  Compiler version:                  gcc (GCC) 3.3 20030304 (Apple Computer, Inc. build 1671)
    - GCC specs file:                /usr/libexec/gcc/darwin/ppc/3.3/specs
    - Compiler command:              gcc -Wall -Wno-switch -Wundef -Wsign-compare -Wno-char-subscripts -Wpacked -Wpointer-arith -Wunused-parameter -g  
  libc version:                      
  Relocating allocator for buffers:  no
  GNU version of malloc:             no
    - The GNU allocators don't work with this system configuration.

Window System:
  Compiling in support for the X window system:
    - X Windows headers location:                 /usr/X11R6/include
    - X Windows libraries location:               /usr/X11R6/lib
    - Handling WM_COMMAND properly.
  Compiling in support for the Athena widget set:
    - Athena headers location:                    X11/Xaw3d
    - Athena library to link:                     Xaw3d
  Using Lucid menubars.
  Using Athena scrollbars.
  Using Athena dialog boxes.
  Using Athena native widgets.

TTY:
  Compiling in support for ncurses.

Images:
  Compiling in support for GIF  images.
  Compiling in support for XPM  images.
  Compiling in support for PNG  images.
  Compiling in support for JPEG images.
  Compiling in support for TIFF images.
  Compiling in support for X-Face message headers.

Sound:

Databases:
  Compiling in support for Berkeley database.
  Compiling in support for GNU DBM.
  Compiling in support for PostgreSQL.
    - Using PostgreSQL header file:  postgresql/libpq-fe.h
    - Using PostgreSQL V7 bindings.

Internationalization:
  Compiling in support for Mule (multi-lingual Emacs).
  Compiling in support for XIM (X11R5+ I18N input method).
    - Using raw Xlib to provide XIM support.
    - Using XFontSet to provide bilingual menubar.

Mail:
  Compiling in support for "file" mail spool file locking method.

Other Features:
  Inhibiting IPv6 canonicalization at startup.
  Compiling in support for dynamic shared object modules.
  Using the new GC algorithms.
  Using the new portable dumper.
  Compiling in support for extra debugging code.
  Compiling in support for runtime error checking.
  WARNING: ---------------------------------------------------------
  WARNING: XEmacs will run noticeably more slowly as a result.
  WARNING: Error checking is on by default for XEmacs beta releases.
  WARNING: ---------------------------------------------------------
@end example
@end enumerate


@item
Then...

@example
$ make > ./beta.err 2>&1
$ make check > ./xemacs-make-check.err 2>&1
@end example

...and you should have a working XEmacs.

@item
After you have verified that you have a functional editor, fire up
your favorite mail program and send a build report to
@uref{mailto:xemacs-buildreports@@xemacs.org}.

Preferably this is best done from XEmacs, following these simple steps:

@enumerate
@kbd{M-x customize-group RET build-report RET}
@kbd{M-x build-report RET}
@end enumerate

See also
@uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Releases/Public-21.2/tester.html#reporting}

If you create the report manually by other means, here is what the
build report should include:

@enumerate
@item
Your hardware configuration (OS version, etc.)

@item
Version numbers of software in use (X11 version, system library
versions if appropriate, graphics library versions if appropriate).
If you're on a system like Linux, include all the version numbers
you can because chances are it makes a difference.

@item
The options given to configure

@item
The configuration report illustrated above

For convenience all of the above items are placed in a file called
`Installation' in the top level build directory.  They are also
available by performing @kbd{M-x describe-installation} inside XEmacs.

@item
Any other unusual items you feel should be brought to the attention
of the developers.
@end enumerate
@end enumerate


@node Packages, Reporting Problems, Building Beta XEmacs, Top
@chapter Packages

[Note: these instructions have been partly updated, but not carefully
reviewed in some time.  Caveat tester.]

Starting with XEmacs 21.1, much of the functionality of XEmacs has
been unbundled into "the packages."  For more information about the
package system, see the Info nodes on Packages (in the XEmacs User
Manual) and on Packaging (in the Lisp Reference).

When bootstrapping XEmacs, you may need to manually install some
packages (at least xemacs-base and efs).  These packages are available
by FTP at @uref{ftp://ftp.xemacs.org/pub/xemacs/packages/}.

@menu
* Binary package installation::  
* Manual procedures for package management::  
* Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch::  
@end menu


@node Binary package installation, Manual procedures for package management, Packages, Packages
@section Binary package installation

Prerequisite:  XEmacs 21.0-b1.

Binary packages are complete entities that can be untarred at the top
level of an XEmacs package hierarchy and work at runtime.  To install files
in this directory, run the command @kbd{M-x package-admin-add-binary-package}
and fill in appropriate values to the prompts.


@node Manual procedures for package management, Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch, Binary package installation, Packages
@section Manual procedures for package management

Prerequisite: XEmacs 21.0

When adding and deleting files from a lisp directory the
auto-autoloads.el (global symbols) and custom-load.el (Customization
groups) must be kept in synch.  Assuming one is manipulating a
directory called `lisp-utils', the command to rebuild the
auto-autoloads.el file is:

@example
xemacs -vanilla -batch \
  -eval \("setq autoload-package-name \"lisp-utils\""\) \
  -f batch-update-directory lisp-utils
@end example

The command to rebuild the custom-load.el file is:

@example
xemacs -vanilla -batch -f Custom-make-dependencies lisp-utils
@end example

To byte-compile both of these files the command is:

@example
xemacs -vanilla -batch -f batch-byte-compile \
	lisp-utils/auto-autoloads.el lisp-utils/custom-load.el
@end example

Of course, being a beta tester, you'd be aware that it is much easier
to manage your XEmacs packages with PUI.


@node Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch, , Manual procedures for package management, Packages
@section Building XEmacs and XEmacs packages from scratch

To build everything completely from scratch isn't hard, just time
consuming. 

@subheading Step 1 - grab the sources (core and packages)

@example
$ cvs -d :pserver:cvs@@cvs.xemacs.org:/pack/xemacscvs login
 [password: "cvs" (sans quotes)]

$ cvs -d :pserver:cvs@@cvs.xemacs.org:/pack/xemacscvs co -d xemacs-21.5 xemacs

$ cvs -d :pserver:cvs@@cvs.xemacs.org:/pack/xemacscvs co packages
@end example

@subheading Step 2 - build XEmacs

@example
$ cd xemacs-21.5
$ ./configure [options...]
$ make > ./beta.err 2>&1
$ make check > ./xemacs-make-check.err 2>&1
@end example

And optionally:

@example
$ make install > ./xemacs-make-install.err 2>&1
@end example

@subheading Step 3 - build and install the packages

@example
$ cd packages
$ cp Local.rules.template Local.rules
@end example

Then edit Local.rules to suit your needs/environment
(@pxref{Local.rules file,,, xemacs, XEmacs User's Manual}) for details
about this file.

And then:

@example
$ make install
@end example


@node Reporting Problems, Improving XEmacs, Packages, Top
@section Reporting Problems

The best way to get problems fixed in XEmacs is to submit good problem
reports, @kbd{M-x report-xemacs-bug RET} will help you do this (assuming
you have a usable XEmacs).  Since this is beta software, problems are
certain to exist.  Please read through all of part II of the XEmacs
FAQ for an overview of problem reporting.
@xref{Installation, Installation and Troubleshooting, , xemacs-faq}.
The most relevant parts are in section 2.4, General Troubleshooting.
@c #### Why doesn't this link work?
@c @ref{Q2.4.1, General Troubleshooting, , xemacs-faq}.
Other items which are most important are:

@enumerate
@item
Do not submit C stack backtraces without line numbers.  Since it
is possible to compile optimized with debug information with GCC
it is never a good idea to compile XEmacs without the -g flag.
XEmacs runs on a variety of platforms, and often it is not
possible to recreate problems which afflict a specific platform.
The line numbers in the C stack backtrace help isolate where the
problem is actually occurring.
 
@item
Attempt to recreate the problem starting with an invocation of
XEmacs with @code{xemacs -no-autoloads}.  Quite often, problems are
due to package interdependencies, and the like.  An actual bug
in XEmacs should be reproducible in a default configuration
without loading any special packages (or the one or two specific
packages that cause the bug to appear).  If you have trouble
getting anything to work at all with the above invocation, use
@code{xemacs -vanilla} instead.  If you need to load your user init
file or the site file to get the problem to occur, then it has
something to do with them, and you should try to isolate the
issue in those files.

@item
A picture can be worth a thousand words.  When reporting an
unusual display, it is generally best to capture the problem in a
screen dump and include that with the problem report.  The easiest
way to get a screen dump is to use the xv program and its grab
function.  Save the image as a PNG to keep bandwidth requirements
down without loss of information.  MIME is the preferred method
for making the image attachments.
@end enumerate


@node Improving XEmacs, Index, Reporting Problems, Top
@chapter Improving XEmacs

@menu
* Creating patches for submission::  
* Large contributions::         
@end menu

@node Creating patches for submission, Large contributions, Improving XEmacs, Improving XEmacs
@section Creating patches for submission

All patches to XEmacs that are seriously proposed for inclusion (eg,
bug fixes) should be mailed to @uref{mailto:xemacs-patches@@xemacs.org}.  Each
patch will be reviewed by the patches review board, and will be
acknowledged and added to the distribution, or rejected with an
explanation.  Progress of the patch is tracked on the XEmacs Patches
mailing list, which is open subscription.  (If a patch is simply
intended to facilitate discussion, "I mean something that works like
this but this is really rough", a Cc to XEmacs Patches is optional,
but doesn't hurt.)

Patches to XEmacs Lisp packages should be sent to the maintainer of
the package.  If the maintainer is listed as `XEmacs Development Team'
patches should be sent to @uref{mailto:xemacs-patches@@xemacs.org}.

Emailed patches should preferably be sent in MIME format and quoted
printable encoding (if necessary).

The simplest way to create well-formed patches is to use CVS and
Didier Verna's Patcher library (available as patcher.el in the
xemacs-devel package).  Patcher is new and requires some setup, but
most of the core developers are now using it for their own patches.
Patcher also can be configured to create patches for several projects,
and recognize the project from the directory it is invoked in.  This
makes it a useful general tool (as long as XEmacs-style patches are
accepted at your other projects, which is likely since they conform to
the GNU standards).

When making patches by hand, please use the `-u' option, or if your
diff doesn't support it, `-c'.  Using ordinary (context-free) diffs
are notoriously prone to error, since line numbers tend to change when
others make changes to the same source file.

An example of the `diff' usage:

@example
$ diff -u OLDFILE NEWFILE
@end example

-or-

@example
$ diff -c OLDFILE NEWFILE
@end example

Also, it is helpful if you create the patch in the top level of the
XEmacs source directory:

@example
$ cp -p lwlib/xlwmenu.c lwlib/xlwmenu.c.orig
  hack, hack, hack....
$ diff -u lwlib/xlwmenu.c.orig lwlib/xlwmenu.c
@end example

Also note that if you cut & paste from an xterm to an XEmacs mail
buffer you will probably lose due to tab expansion.  The best thing to
do is to use an XEmacs shell buffer to run the diff commands, or ...
@kbd{M-x cd} to the appropriate directory, and issue the command
@kbd{C-u M-!} from within XEmacs.

Patches should be as single-minded as possible.  Mammoth patches can
be very difficult to place into the right slot.  They are much easier
to deal with when broken down into functional or conceptual chunks.
The patches submitted by Kyle Jones and Hrvoje Niksic are stellar
examples of how to "Do The Right Thing".

Each patch should be accompanied by an update to the appropriate
ChangeLog file.  Guidelines for writing ChangeLog entries is governed
by the GNU coding standards.  Please see
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards_toc.html}   [Change Logs section]
for details.

Do not submit context diffs (either -c or -u) of ChangeLogs.  Because
of the "stack" nature of ChangeLogs (new entries are always pushed on
the top), context diffs will fail to apply more often than they
succeed.  Simply cutting and pasting the entry from an Emacs buffer to
the mail buffer (beware of tab expansion!) is probably easiest.  The
Patcher library also will set up your ChangeLogs for you, and copy
them to the mail.  Context-less unified diffs (-U 0) are also
acceptable.

@menu
* Patch discussion etiquette::  
@end menu

@node Patch discussion etiquette,  , Creating patches for submission, Creating patches for submission
@subsection Patch discussion etiquette

If you intend a patch for _application_ to the sources as is, _always_
post it to xemacs-patches, even if there are minor points you would
like to have discussed by others.  Not doing so will resulting in
patches getting "lost".  If you expect that the patch will not be
acceptable, but are using it to stimulate discussion, then don't post
to xemacs-patches.  Intermediate cases are up to your judgment;
unless you're sure you'll follow up with a "real" patch, better to err
on the side of posting to xemacs-patches.

Discussion of the _content_ of the patch (ie responses to reviewer
comments beyond "that's right, ok, I'll do it your way") should _always_
be posted to xemacs-beta or to xemacs-design.  If you're not sure
which is more appropriate, send it to xemacs-beta.  That is the most
widely read channel.

If discussion results in a bright idea and you come up with a new
patch, normally you should post it to both mailing lists.  The people
discussing on XEmacs Beta will want to know the outcome of the thread,
and you need to submit to XEmacs Patches as the "list of record."

If the old patch has been applied to CVS, then just submit the new one
as usual.  If it has not been applied, then it is best to submit a new
patch against CVS.  If possible do this as a reply to the original
patch post, or something following it in the thread.  (The point is to
get the original patch post's Message-ID in your References header.)
In this case, also use the keyword SUPERSEDES in the Subject header to
indicate that the old patch is no longer valid, and that this one
replaces it.

These rules will result in a fair number of cross posts, but we don't
yet have a better way to handle that.

Note: Developers should never post to xemacs-patches unless there is a
patch in the post.  We plan to enforce this with an automatic filter.

The exceptions are administrative.  If you have commit authorization,
then post a short COMMIT notice to xemacs-patches when you commit to
CVS.  Members of the Review Board will also post short notices of
administrative action (APPROVE, VETO, QUERY, etc) to xemacs-patches.

@node Large contributions,  , Creating patches for submission, Improving XEmacs
@section Large contributions

Perhaps you have a whole new mode, or a major synchronization with
upstream for a neglected package, or a synchronization with GNU Emacs
you would like to contribute.  We welcome such contributions, but they
are likely to be relatively controversial, generate more comments and
requests for revision, and take longer to integrate.  Please be
patient with the process.

@menu
* Updates to existing packages::  
* New packages::                
* Syncing with GNU Emacs::      
@end menu

@node Updates to existing packages, New packages, Large contributions, Large contributions
@subsection Updates to existing packages

If a package has gotten a bit out of date, or even started to bitrot,
we welcome patches to synchronize it with upstream/GNU Emacs versions.
Most packages end up varying somewhat from their GNU origins.  See
"Syncing with GNU Emacs" for hints.  Note that if you do a reasonably
large amount of syncing with GNU Emacs, you should log this in the
file itself as well as in the ChangeLog.

If the package is important to you, please consider becoming the
maintainer.  (See "New packages", below.)

@node New packages, Syncing with GNU Emacs, Updates to existing packages, Large contributions
@subsection New packages

If you have a new mode or other large addition that does not require
changes to the core, please consider submitting it as a package, and
becoming the maintainer.  You get direct commit privileges to the
repository for your package, "approval" privileges for your own
patches as well as third party patches to your package, and some
degree of veto power over patches you don't like.  In return, you are
expected to maintain friendly liaison with the upstream developer (if
you aren't the upstream developer), keep watch on the XEmacs Patches
list for relevant patches, and be available by email to other
developers for discussion of changes that impact your package.  It's
also a pretty standard route to the "core" development group, where we
have plenty of extra work waiting for volunteers.

You don't have to become the maintainer, but it virtually ensures
rapid acceptance of the package.

For help in creating new packages, see the (rather sparse) discussions
in the XEmacs User's Guide and the Lisp Reference Manual.  The
participants in the XEmacs Beta mailing list
@uref{mailto:xemacs-beta@@xemacs.org} and the XEmacs Package Release
Engineer are the most likely sources of advice.  See
@uref{http://www.xemacs.org/Develop/jobs.html#package,jobs.html} for
current information about package release engineers.


@node Syncing with GNU Emacs,  , New packages, Large contributions
@subsection Syncing with GNU Emacs

Syncing with GNU Emacs is an important activity.  Although each
version has its advantages and areas of concentration, it is very
desirable that common functionality share specifications and APIs.
When porting GNU code to XEmacs, the following points should be given
special attention:

@itemize @bullet
@item
Recent GNU Emacsen cannot be built without Mule, but XEmacs can.
Make sure that changes that depend on the presence of Mule are
appropriately conditionalized, with @samp{#ifdef MULE} in C code and
with @samp{(featurep 'mule)} in Lisp.

@item
GNU Emacs nomenclature often differs from that of XEmacs.
Sometimes syncing the names is desirable, other times not.

@item
GNU Emacs functionality often differs from that of XEmacs.
Syncing functionality is often controversial.
@end itemize

It is important that you let other developers know that
synchronization has taken place, to what degree, and when.  For this
purpose, we use comments of the form

@example
/* Synched up with: GNU 21.3 by Stephen Turnbull */
@end example

in the source file itself, as the last element of the prefatory
material (copyright notice and commentary).  Obviously the comment
marker needs to be changed to leading semicolons for Lisp, but
otherwise the format is the same.  (Older sync comments may have ``FSF''
in place of ``GNU''.  They're equally accurate in our opinion, but
Richard Stallman and other GNU developers consider the term ``FSF
Emacs'' ``insulting''.  Please use ``GNU'' in new sync comments.)

Of course you should note syncing as the purpose in the ChangeLog,
too.  But entries get buried deep in the ChangeLog file, and may even
get moved to a separate ChangeLog.OLD file for rarely synched files.

Rather than dates we use the version of GNU Emacs to sync to.  If the
synchronization is partial, add a new comment describing what has
actually been synched, leaving the description of the last full sync
in place.  At each full sync, remove all previous synchronization
comments.

This applies to Lisp that we have broken out into packages, but
remains in the GNU Emacs core, as well to core Lisp in XEmacs.

@c Print the tables of contents
@contents
@c That's all


@node Index,  , Improving XEmacs, Top
@unnumbered Index

@printindex cp

@bye