SparkOS/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to SparkOS

Thank you for your interest in contributing to SparkOS!

Project Goals

SparkOS aims to be:

• Minimal: Only essential components
• Clean: Well-documented, readable code
• Portable: dd-able to USB drives
• Extensible: Easy to add features incrementally

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/johndoe6345789/SparkOS.git
   cd SparkOS
   

2. Build the system:

   ./scripts/build.sh
   

3. Make your changes

4. Test your changes:

   make clean
   make all
   

Code Style

• C/C++ Code: Follow Linux kernel style guidelines

  • Use tabs for indentation
  • Keep lines under 80 characters when reasonable
  • Comment complex logic

• Shell Scripts: Follow Google Shell Style Guide

  • For runtime scripts (inside rootfs): Use #!/bin/sh for POSIX-compliant scripts (busybox compatibility)
  • For build scripts (host system): Can use #!/bin/bash when bash-specific features are needed
  • Quote variables
  • Use meaningful variable names

• Documentation: Write clear, concise documentation

  • Update README when adding features
  • Comment non-obvious code
  • Include usage examples

Submitting Changes

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Commit with descriptive messages
6. Push to your fork
7. Open a Pull Request

What to Contribute

Priority areas:

• Bug fixes
• Documentation improvements
• Build system enhancements
• Testing infrastructure
• Qt6/QML GUI components
• Wayland integration
• Package management
• Network configuration

Questions?

Open an issue on GitHub for questions or discussions.