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CONTRIBUTING.md

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First steps

Before contributing to DOSBox-X, please check the issue tracker to see whether your potential contribution is already being discussed, or if you'd like to discuss about it first.

Scope of contributions that are welcome

  • The normal operation of DOS games and applications within DOSBox-X
  • DOS, Windows 1.0/2.x/3.x and Windows 9x/ME guest system support
  • Architectural symmetry with a real DOS environment (particularly MS-DOS or PC DOS)
  • Improving the user interface, general functions and usability of DOSBox-X
  • Improving a platform-specific build of DOSBox-X or getting it on par with other platforms supported
  • Non-implemented (or incorrectly implemented) system calls or functions
  • Missing, incorrect, or inaccurate hardware emulation, e.g. video, sound, input
  • Bug fixes and/or improvements that allows for example demoscene productions to run in DOSBox-X

As DOSBox-X aims to be a complete and accurate DOS emulation package, please keep in mind as in general rule the more complete and accurate the emulation, the better. In the area of hardware for example, from original IBM PC hardware with 64KB of RAM all the way up to late 1990's hardware, whatever it takes to get the game or software package to run, covering all pre-2000 DOS and Windows 9x based hardware scenarios, including peripherals, motherboards, CPUs, and all manner of hardware that was made for PC hardware of that time.

You do not necessarily need to be versed in coding; there are other ways to contribute to the project as well. For example, you can submit bug reports, asking for new features or requesting other improvements in the issue tracker. General conversations and helping other DOSBox-X users (e.g. suggesting solutions to their problems) are appreciated as well. You may also help improve DOSBox-X's documentation (such as the DOSBox-X Wiki), translate its language file to another language, or help promoting the software in other websites and forums.

Code

For the code style, please refer to the .editorconfig file, your development environment probably supports it (see https://editorconfig.org/).

The emphasis is put on code clarity, simplicity and documented whenever possible.

Documenting can be 'dynamic', Doxygen-commented methods are preferred but evocative method names are also accepted as long as they're self-explanative.

Recommendations about coding:

  • favor the writing of short methods, opposed to long methods, with the exception for really simple to understand code
  • maximize code reuse, i.e. don't repeat yourself (DRY)
  • simplify your code path for extra clarity, avoid crazing nesting

Obviously when you'll dig in, you will quickly spot that there are many places where these rules are simply not followed ! Over the years, hundreds of people have worked on DOSBox (which DOSBox-X is a fork of), while that helped to raise this project to where it is today, it certainly didn't in terms of clean code. But keep the faith, a huge code cleanup endeavor has started with the goal to raise the metrics of DOSBox-X guts, hopefully ASAP.

For details of the source code, please take a look at the DOSBox-X source code description page. Information about the debugger is also available in the DOSBox-X Debugger page.

Code of Conduct

Please read the Code of Conduct page for general information on contributing to or getting support from the project.

That said, welcome to this repository !