Contribute to projects

When working on existing projects be sure to coordinate with peers working with the same project. In particular make sure that changes you make do not adversely impact others.

The CVS repository contains the most recent software version. It is continuously changing and which means that it is inherently unstable and may introduce recent errors. Before you update your sandbox from CVS you should save any working copies you have. This way if the update fails then you can revert to your previous copy.

Software development involves many complex interdependencies so we will all make mistakes. Your work flow should take this into consideration. However, it is beneficial to keep the repository in good working condition. If you do make a mistake please try to repair it quickly. Also after you check in changes, check them out into a test directory so you can check your results.

As you browse existing code this is a good opportunity to make minor changes to make the code more readable. Reformat code that is cluttered or is not evenly lined up. As you learn how the code operates add comments so the next person does not need to reverse engineer it again.

If the project does not have any tests then it is a good idea to add some. This way after you can see that your changes did not have damaging side effects. A simple smoke test is a reasonable start and will catch obvious errors.