Making it easier to start contributing to LibreOffice development

[Ilmari Lauhakangas]

On 9.8.2023 19.32, David Booth wrote:
> SUMMARY:
> I think it would help if it were easier to get started on contributing 
> to LibreOffice development.   I tried, but gave up after 4+ hours.  I 
> don't know where is the best place to make this suggestion.
> 
> BACKGROUND:
> A few months ago I ran into a problem using LibreOffice.  Since I have 
> experience with software development -- I'm a software architect with 
> multiple degrees in Computer Science -- I wanted to help improve it.  I 
> followed instructions as I could find them, but found them them unclear. 
>   After spending 4+ hours I was unable to reach the point of being able 
> to get started and had to stop, due to other priorities.
> 
> Perhaps if I get another burst of volunteer energy I could try again 
> someday.  And if I do, maybe a good first task would be to improve the 
> instructions for contributing to LibreOffice development.   In the 
> meantime I thought I should at least share my experience, in case 
> someone else might be inspired to improve the instructions.

Hello,

it's true that depending on the platform (*cough* Windows) the build 
setup can be tedious. This is not set in stone, however, and devs are 
working on improvements.

You can send me a private email and we can schedule a mentoring chat 
where we go through the first steps. It is normal these days for all new 
contributors.

Regards,
Ilmari Lauhakangas
Development Marketing at The Document Foundation