FMP on GitHub

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

Solarious,

Have you ever considered putting your FMP mod up (or at least the text files) on github particularly since this mod is no longer in feature development?  It might make it easier to maintain when people submit bugfixes.  They can do pull requests, and you can review them.   

[Solarius Scorch]

Solarious,

Have you ever considered putting your FMP mod up (or at least the text files) on github particularly since this mod is no longer in feature development?  It might make it easier to maintain when people submit bugfixes.  They can do pull requests, and you can review them.

I wouldn't say no, but what's the benefit? The FMP contains no code, just rulesets. But if you think it's OK, sure - but help would be appreciated, since I don't really want to learn gitHub just for this.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

I wouldn't say no, but what's the benefit? The FMP contains no code, just rulesets. But if you think it's OK, sure - but help would be appreciated, since I don't really want to learn gitHub just for this.

The benefit is version history, revertability to previous versions, and having other people able to contribute fixes.  The system helps highlight changes in text files and makes it easier to merge things back into your repo when other people contribute. Also, Github or any VCS isn't just for code.  A lot of companies use it for maintaining all kinds of assets from graphics to certain binaries to server configurations (a lot of stuff).  Where I work, we use Perforce and Github to store a lot of items beyond just code.   Anyway, i was just curious if you ever thought about it.

[Yankes]

The benefit is version history, revertability to previous versions, and having other people able to contribute fixes.  The system helps highlight changes in text files and makes it easier to merge things back into your repo when other people contribute. Also, Github or any VCS isn't just for code.  A lot of companies use it for maintaining all kinds of assets from graphics to certain binaries to server configurations (a lot of stuff).  Where I work, we use Perforce and Github to store a lot of items beyond just code.   Anyway, i was just curious if you ever thought about it.

+1

And rulsset is CODE, this is file that have specific syntax and is read by programs. Fact that it not programing language is irrelevant because VCS can't recognize that.

[Solarius Scorch]

All right, let's do it.

...I mean I'm not doing this, all my free time is modding. But as I said, I'll gladly accept help.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

All right, let's do it.

...I mean I'm not doing this, all my free time is modding. But as I said, I'll gladly accept help.

Okay, I take it to mean you want somebody else to put it up on GitHub for you?

[Solarius Scorch]

Okay, I take it to mean you want somebody else to put it up on GitHub for you?

That would be for the best, but only if such a person is prepared to. I wouldn't want to rope anyone into this. Otherwise I guess I'll do it myself... I'll have to anyway, for my next project.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

I can do it, but it may take me few days to get to it.  I'm trying to prepare my own taxes (due next Monday in US).  If you don't have a GitHub account, you should go ahead and make one.  I can add you as a collaborator on the repo.

[Solarius Scorch]

I can do it, but it may take me few days to get to it.  I'm trying to prepare my own taxes (due next Monday in US).  If you don't have a GitHub account, you should go ahead and make one.  I can add you as a collaborator on the repo.

Ha, I've done it already a week ago
If you can set it up, please do. My GitHub nick is SolariusScorch.

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

Ha, I've done it already a week ago
If you can set it up, please do. My GitHub nick is SolariusScorch.

Okay. will do.  Okay if I put the MIT style license on it? or GPL? or Creative Commons?  This is probably the only sticky issue and probably recommend only committing the rulesets (and other text) to the repo, because I don't know how much of the original artwork from the game (TFTD included) is in this mod.

[R1dO]

+1 from here as well ... it can really help spreading out the workload on small fixes. And it provides easy access to all relevant versions for those already familiar with git.
You might even get away with less (but bigger) releases, meanwhile giving testers the opportunity to see new features before putting it on the download site.

The only difficulty i can see atm is that this mod grew from a collection of other mods. Cloners/forkers might not be aware that a specific part was made by somebody else, and give false/misleading credits.
But don't let this discourage you, it is probably a virtual concern since it can be applied to the current way of distributing as well.

Besides this point, i think HellRazor mentioned on the IRC that he was thinking of doing the same with his mod (not sure if he already succeeded). It might be advantageous to share experience. Heck .. if you manage to come up with a clever repository structure, it could become quiet easy to share those changes that overlap.

All in all ... Lead the way, and us rookies will follow


P.s. If necessary i can help out.

[Yankes]

The only difficulty i can see atm is that this mod grew from a collection of other mods. Cloners/forkers might not be aware that a specific part was made by somebody else, and give false/misleading credits.
But don't let this discourage you, it is probably a virtual concern since it can be applied to the current way of distributing as well.

This could be fixed by way how this will be added to repo. Instead of one big commit you can create lot of small one, each one contains part of mod from one original author. Before committing using git-fu you can alter name of commit author to mach mod author. With this you will have 100% information who did what.
Only drawback is that will take lot of time to od (hardest part is split and figure out who did what).

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

This could be fixed by way how this will be added to repo. Instead of one big commit you can create lot of small one, each one contains part of mod from one original author. Before committing using git-fu you can alter name of commit author to mach mod author. With this you will have 100% information who did what.
Only drawback is that will take lot of time to od (hardest part is split and figure out who did what).

Another solution might be to come up with a file that describes all the contributors and links to their mods until those mods get uploaded to Github.  Some of the information is already available on FMP's mod page at openxcom.com.  May not be perfect, but doable in the short term.  I only propose, because not sure I've ever tried to alter the commit author before via git.

[R1dO]

That certainly is a precise way to do this ... although it assumes that people track back to the original commit, which is not necessarily the 1st/bottom one (and i don't think it is an inviting way to start using git ).

That being said, if going your proposed route why not use branches for specific 'borrowed' content. If Solarius still has all the originals, they can serve as original from creator. With an appropriate commit message those first can attribute the author (no need for git-fu to mess with existing commits .. the horror). Any changes by Solarius can become the 2nd commit, and than it's liftoff. The added benefit of branches will be that its slightly easier to share specific submods between different modpacks (subtree/submodule comes to mind .. but that will probably scare more people away).

[DoxaLogos (JG)]

This sounds a little more doable by putting the author in commit message.