Re: A Windows x64 port of PostgreSQL

On Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 8:32 PM, Ken Camann <kjcamann(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
> I'd really like to help out with this, but I'm not sure I can work on
> a patch even if I change these things for myself. Fixing this code
> would touch a lot of important internals in postgres (albeit in a
> small way), so my patch would probably not be accepted. I assume this
> kind of thing has to be done by someone a little closer to the project
> because it would modify so many things.

We don't work like that - anyone can have a patch accepted for any
part of the code, no matter how much previous experience they have.
One of the most complex patches we've ever dealt with (HOT) was
largely written by a new contributor.

> So I'm not really sure what to do. I've never contributed to anything
> before, and I've actually never even used CVS. I will probably start
> making changes for myself, but before I do I'd like to know if I
> should bother doing it in such a way that might be useful to the
> community.

You might prefer to learn git rather than CVS - it will probably make
life easier to keep your work in sync with CVS head through the use of
the git mirror.

Contributing is simple though. First, read the FAQ
(http://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Developer_FAQ). Then, tell us you're
working on the project, and start coding. Try to break the work down
into logical sections to aid reviewing and discussion. Post WIP
patches for people to look over, and don't be afraid to ask if you're
not sure about something.

--
Dave Page
EnterpriseDB UK: http://www.enterprisedb.com