What to do

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Mentoring

There most probably are a whole lot of programmers who would like to work on something, but feel kind of helpless and do not really know how to start, and there are a bunch of very knowledged people who don't have enough time on their hands to implement anything. The two can be combined by some kind of mentoring!

What does this mean? Well, the less knowledged can work on something and learn at the same time by communicating with the knowledged, and thereby both will contribute in the way they can.

This is something I do not intend to set into a system, just an idea on how people can cooperate.

Some people who have made themselves or some pages available:

• David J. Dachtera (DJE Systems). [explanatory pages]

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Software to write

There will be forms associated with the different sections, which the help of which you can sign up as implementor. In the mean time, it's always possible to send me a message. And hey, just because someone's already working on the piece of software you want to work on does not mean you don't have to. Send him or her a message! Cooperate! (and send me a message so I can sign you up :-))

1. Libraries:

   Libraries should be implemented with some care, since so many will depend on them. Libraries should not only contain the routines themselves, but also whatever support file needed, like C header files and the like.

   • CLI$

     This library is probably one of the most important to build, since most programs will depend on it.

     To be perfect, it should some day be designed as a callback to whatever DCL clone there may be. It is a good thing if it's implemented in such a way that a change to that kind of design can be done easily. For now, having it work like a normal library is good enough.

     This could be made at the same time as CDU, the program that implements SET COMMAND (see below).

   • LIB$

     This library is probably among the most helpful, since it contains all kinds of nice and useful routines.

   • STR$

     This library has about the same priority as LIB$

   • MTH$

     Where's this needed?

   • What have I forgotten?

     Please send me mail if you think of something...

2. Programs:

   How about implementing a program, a simple thing like COPY? Whenever a program is written, it should use VMS libraries and calling standards as much as possible. It will serve as a verification of the functonality (especially if you do implement under VMS) and of the libraries mentioned above, whenever they get written.

   Or hey, if you're a good DCL programmer, why not reimplement VMSINSTAL.COM?

   DCL should be mentioned specially. Jim Kingdon has found a DCL clone, with some interesting libraries, called BOSS (see also Jim's BOSS page.

3. The kernel:

   This is a teamwork part, although it seems like there's a need for someone to give it a start.

   I'm currently readin up on Mach...

4. What have I forgotten?

   Please send me mail if you think of something...

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Documentation to write

Documentation needs being written. Most of the time, this will be done by the programmers. Still, there are probably more general documents that will need being written as well.

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Testing to be done

Testing, testing... It's always needed. Sure, the programmers will be able to do most tests themselves, but they'll most probably miss something. You might be the kind to find it? Find out who does something you want to try out, and work with them.

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Who does what?

This will contain a list of things that worked on, and by who.