[repository] Update contribution guidelines and readme - #5123
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- Update installation instructions - Compact usage instructions - Reword building and contributing section - Fix CI status badge and add macOS/Windows status
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Pull request overview
This PR restructures contributor-facing documentation by introducing a new, higher-level CONTRIBUTING.md and moving the prior detailed rules into GUIDELINES.md, while also refreshing README.md (badges, installation, and usage) to align with the new docs and improve first-time contributor onboarding.
Changes:
- Add
GUIDELINES.mdas the detailed contribution/coding/process guidelines document. - Replace
CONTRIBUTING.mdwith a shorter, more explanatory contributor onboarding document (including roadmap/focus-area direction). - Update
README.mdto refresh installation/usage guidance and split CI status into Linux/Windows/macOS badges.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 3 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated 6 comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| README.md | Updates badges, restructures installation/usage sections, and updates contributing links. |
| GUIDELINES.md | Adds the detailed guidelines content migrated from the previous contributing documentation. |
| CONTRIBUTING.md | Replaces prior detailed rules with a short onboarding-oriented contributing document and links to GUIDELINES.md. |
Suppressed comments (2)
CONTRIBUTING.md:13
- This should be a second-level heading under the document title (there should only be one H1 in this file).
# General directions
CONTRIBUTING.md:36
- This should be a second-level heading under the document title (there should only be one H1 in this file).
# Requirements before contributing
💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.
| | Connect to a running instance | `multipass shell <instance-name>` | | ||
| | Run a command inside an instance | `multipass exec <instance-name> -- <command>` | | ||
| | Stop an instance | `multipass stop <instance-name>` | | ||
| | Delete an instance | `multipass delete <instance-name>` <br/> `multipass purge <instance-name>` | |
| | Find available images | `multipass find` | | ||
| | Launch an instance with the current Ubuntu LTS | `multipass launch lts` | | ||
| | List existing instances | `multipass list` | | ||
| | Get infos about an instance | `multipass info <instance-name>` | |
| ### What is unlikely to get accepted? | ||
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| ### Core principles (MU) | ||
| - Big junks of obviously AI generated code that has never been double checked by a skilled human developer will be ignored. |
| ### A special note on the usage of AI tools | ||
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| Accordingly, this document aims at establishing a set of guidelines that: | ||
| Especially with the recent developments in AI supported code generation, we must be careful on accepting external contributions for capacity and legal reasons. While we use AI tools in our development processes, we remain very careful about its outputs and expect our contributors to do the same. |
| [gha-url-linux]: https://github.com/canonical/multipass/actions/workflows/linux.yml | ||
| [gha-image-windows]: https://github.com/canonical/multipass/actions/workflows/windows.yml/badge.svg?branch=main | ||
| [gha-url-windows]: https://github.com/canonical/multipass/actions/workflows/windows.yml | ||
| [gha-image-macos]:https://github.com/canonical/multipass/actions/workflows/macos.yml/badge.svg?branch=main |
| Rowing a boat is more effective if everyone pulls in the same direction. The same idea applies to | ||
| software projects. Shared goals, principles, and procedures result in less friction and lead to more | ||
| consistent code, documentation, and user experiences. | ||
| # Guidelines |
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Description
This PR introduces a new
CONTRIBUTING.mddocument and moves the previous one into a separateGUIDELINES.mddocument. The contribution document contains rather explanations than rules/guidelines for the contributors to get started.This change intends to make the Multipass repository more friendly for external contributes to get started, while emphasizing the important aspects in a more human-readable manner.
Additionally,
README.mdhas been updated related to the above mentioned changes, and in the installation, usage, sections. The CI status badge has been fixed, and badges for the Windows and macOS builds have been added.Relates to #5019
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