Difference between revisions of "GMOD Membership"

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== Users ==
 
== Users ==
  
To become a GMOD ''user'', just download and install one or more [[GMOD Components]].  That's it.  There is no mandatory registration process, and you don't have to meet any set of requirements.  ''GMOD is open to everyone.''
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To become a GMOD ''user'', just download, install, and start using one or more [[GMOD Components]].  That's it.  There is no mandatory registration process, and you don't have to meet any set of requirements.  ''GMOD is open to everyone.''
  
 
You are ''encouraged'' to sign up to the (low-volume) [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gmod-announce GMOD Announce mailing list], and to the [[GMOD Mailing Lists|mailing list(s)]] for the components that you use.  You can also subscribe to the [[GMOD News|GMOD News RSS feed]].  These will help keep you up to date on both the project and the components you use.
 
You are ''encouraged'' to sign up to the (low-volume) [https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gmod-announce GMOD Announce mailing list], and to the [[GMOD Mailing Lists|mailing list(s)]] for the components that you use.  You can also subscribe to the [[GMOD News|GMOD News RSS feed]].  These will help keep you up to date on both the project and the components you use.

Revision as of 19:20, 3 February 2010

Under Construction

This page or section is under construction.

This page describes how users, developers, and software become a part of GMOD.

Users

To become a GMOD user, just download, install, and start using one or more GMOD Components. That's it. There is no mandatory registration process, and you don't have to meet any set of requirements. GMOD is open to everyone.

You are encouraged to sign up to the (low-volume) GMOD Announce mailing list, and to the mailing list(s) for the components that you use. You can also subscribe to the GMOD News RSS feed. These will help keep you up to date on both the project and the components you use.

Developers

Developers are users who also contribute code back to the project. In the early days of GMOD every user was also a developer. This is no longer true, but every user can still become a developer.

There are several ways to become a developer:

  • You can write fixes or additions to GMOD Components that you already use, and then send the code (or a link to it) to the [[GMOD Mailing Lists|mailing list(s)] for that component. If the update is widely usefule, the lead developer(s) for the component will then fold it in to the component and your fix will be included in the next release.
  • You can become a developer with commit privileges and directly submit your updates to the source code repository for that component. This is a good option if you contribute code frequently. To get commit privileges you need to ask one of the developers already working on the component.
  • Finally, you can become a developer by contributing a new component to GMOD. See Software below for how to do that.

Developers are also encouraged to sign up for the GMOD Developer mailing list (and maybe GMOD Architecture as well).

Software

New software components become a part of GMOD through a nomination and evaluation process.

Nomination

Software can be nominated by its developers, by GMOD users, or by GMOD staff. New components also arise from within the community. Schema, DIYA, and MAKER are all recent examples of software becoming a part of GMOD.

Please contact the GMOD Help Desk if you would like to nominate a new component. You can also nominate a component by posting to the GMOD Mailing Lists that are most relevant to the tool.

Evaluation

Nominated software is first evaluated by GMOD staff to see if it meets basic requirements such as open source licensing and GMOD interoperability. We'll also confirm a good faith commitment of support on the part of the component's developers. We then contact members of the GMOD community to solicit feedback on the other requirements such as meeting a common need and useful over time. This feedback may lead to a decision to include or exclude the component in GMOD, or it may lead to a request for additional development. These requests can inlude things like "improve documentation" or "make it easily configurable and extensible".

Requirements

To become a part of the GMOD suite, software has to meet several requirements:

Meets a Common Need

First, the program must meet a common need in biological research. A tool that is only useful with organisms that are two-dimensional (think butterfly wings), is probably not a good match for GMOD. Tools must be useful across a wide range of biology, and meet a widespread need. Tools that support next generation sequencing, gene expression, phenotypes, or comparative genomics are good examples of broadly applicable tools.

Useful Over Time

GMOD Components should be applicable and useful for at least several years. For example, GMOD tends to avoid analysis tools because this area of bioinformatics is constantly changing. However, the need to connect different analysis tools into reusable pipelines (see Ergatis and Galaxy for examples), is a common and longstanding need that will outlive any particular too.

Configurable and Extensible

GMOD tools should be usable in a wide variety of situations. They often require tailoring to work in different users' environments. GMOD components should make it easy for users to do this tailoring in configuration files - they should generally not have to change the code itself to get what they want. Another (complementary) way to achieve this is to have an extensible architecture where computer-savvy users can write plugins/extensions for tasks such as input/output using custom/local data sources and formats.

Open Source License for All Users

New GMOD software must have an Open Source Initiative (OSI) approved license, and that license must be free to all users. The GMOD project is committed to open source principles.

Interoperable With Other GMOD Components

New GMOD software must be interoperable with other GMOD Components. Usually this means that the software can export and/or import GFF, or that it can connect to Chado.

Commitment of Support

The developers of the software must be willing to make a good faith commitment to support the new component for at least 2 years after joining GMOD. This commitment includes setting up email lists, responding to user questions, writing and maintaining documentation, and adding new features and bug fixes to the code.

The current developers should also be open to new developers from the GMOD community contributing code and other support to the new component. This open development model contributes to the long-term viability of the open source model.

Facts about "GMOD Membership"RDF feed
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ChadoSchema +