Subsystem description procedure

Introduction

Subsystems are large areas of software worked on continuously by a stable set of people which often include contributions from many sources. As such, they can easily be confusing to neophyte or potential contributors. Consequently, if we desire more and better support from external contributors, we should expend extra effort to explain what subsystems exist, who maintains them, who has contributed to them, and what smaller components make them up.

Structure of a Description

A proper subsystem description currently consists of three things:

1. A description page such as Security.
   • This page should describe why the subsystem exists, what components it contains, and how to get in touch with the people who work on it.
   • The description page should belong to Category:Subsystems.
2. A credits page such as Security credits.
   • This page should explain who the active contributors are and who else has, historically, participated in the development of the subsystem.
   • The credits page should belong to Category:Credits.
   • The credits page should make use of Profiles for active contributors and of the credit template.
3. A README file in software component in the subsystem linking to the subsystem description page and perhaps also including contact information for the current maintainers.
   • If desired, these README files can be mirrored on the wiki with the gitembed wiki extension on pages belonging to Category:README.