Re: beginner's questions
> 1) Having found a bug report that i would like to work on
> - Which is the source file i download? the orig or the dsc? the
> debian one or the upstream one?
Just do this:
apt-get source package-name
> - Do i need to contact first the maintainer of the package that i
> intend to work on some bug? (i guess i would know this if i have read
> the debian policy more rigorously, i will do so)
>
Not necessary - I have patched many packages that I use internally.
However, if you contact the maintainer, or use the maintainer's mailing
list, you can avoid working on the problem at the same time as somebody
else.
> 2) Having obtained the source, before i start making my modifications
> should i apply the existing patches appearing in diff.gz or should i
> work directly on the original code?
>
The apt-get source command will do that for you.
> 3) Having done my changes do i need to prepare and submit a package
> containing the new modified version? Even though i might not need to
> offer a package do i need to make sure that the resulting code can be
> properly packaged? Or do i simply submit the patch and the maintainers
> worry about the rest? What is it more useful for the maintainer?
>
Just sending a diff to the upstream may be sufficient - it depends on the
type of patch.
If it is Debian specific, you could log the diff in the bug tracking
system too.
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