Remove effectivly empty CONTRIBUTING files

[HannesWell]

Let's make sure issue is not already fixed in latest builds first.

• I verified latest Integration Build of Eclipse SDK doesn't provide the feature.

Suggestion

Currently many repositories for Eclipse-Platform, Equinox, JDT and PDE have have CONTRIBUTING or a CONTRIBUTING.md file or both that most of the time just contains a link to the contribution information maintained in the corresponding organization's .github repository.

For example in the eclipse.platform repository

• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform/blob/7fa51b7a44ee2074b93eaeed1c8bea13be59e541/CONTRIBUTING
• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform/blob/7fa51b7a44ee2074b93eaeed1c8bea13be59e541/CONTRIBUTING.md

That link is then also often repeated in a Contributing section in the README.md of the repository.
See for example

• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-contribute

With that the content of the CONTRIBUTING seems to be duplicated and actually not necessary.
Therefore I propose to delete the CONTRIBUTING if the scenario is as described above.

If I read the Eclipse Foundation Project Handbook correct, having a CONTRIBUTING is not mandatory per project and contributing information can also be contained in the README:

• https://www.eclipse.org/projects/handbook/#legaldoc-contributor

@waynebeaton is that correct or are we not allowed to perform the proposed task?

The contribution information generated by GitHub for a repository inherits the CONTRIBUTING file/information from the organization if no such file exists in the repository. For the jdt.debug repository this proposal was already applied and it worked as expected there:

• Add main README for jdt.debug and clean-up CONTRIBUTING file eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug#532 (comment)

See https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/contribute

On the other hand https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/contribute currently needs one more click to reach the final destination.

Community

• I understand suggesting an enhancement doesn't mandate anyone to implement it. Other contributors may consider this suggestion, or not, at their own convenience. The most efficient way to get it fixed is that I implement it myself and contribute it back as a good quality patch to the project.

[HannesWell]

@waynebeaton would this change be fine from a legal l respectively project rules point of view?

[HannesWell]

If there is no objection, especially by @waynebeaton (I think developers don't insist on an almost empty file), I'll start implementing this soon.

[waynebeaton]

IMHO a reasonable argument can be made that the CONTRIBUTING file is a contextual artifact; that is, it describes the process for working with a repository while that repository is in the context of an Eclipse project's GitHub org. Since the .github repository includes a relevant CONTRIBUTING file, we can assert that the requirement is met.

Having said all that, I invite you to carefully consider what this means for potential forks and whether or not the entire team is comfortable with this information being disconnected from the repository (that is, absent from forks).

[HannesWell]

Thank you.

Having said all that, I invite you to carefully consider what this means for potential forks and whether or not the entire team is comfortable with this information being disconnected from the repository (that is, absent from forks).

Absolutely, at the moment I only have one opinion from eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug#532 (comment)

But I encourage all @eclipse-platform/eclipse-platform-committers to express their opinion, especially if they are against this change. The same applies for all Equinox, PDE and JDT committers (unfortunately I cannot link them here easily, but (almost) all Equinox and PDE committers are also platform committers).

[iloveeclipse]

I'm maybe blind, but is there a default link to "contrubite" file somewhere in github UI (not im our readme), similar to https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug "code of conduct", "license", "security" etc links both on the right site and the bottom of the page?

[Bananeweizen]

is there a default link to "contrubite" file somewhere in github UI

The only one I'm aware of is "Insights" (at the top) > Community Standards > Contributing. And that one seems to work fine with the changes of Hannes.

@HannesWell You are aware of the Otterdog automation stuff, right? I'm not sure if Otterdog is already doing something to CONTRIBUTION or whether something is planned. But it would be good, if your strategy fits to whatever happens there, otherwise this might go back and forth.

[laeubi]

I'm maybe blind, but is there a default link to "contrubite" file somewhere in github UI (not im our readme),

If you open an issue for example you have

there are similar links when one creates a PR.

[iloveeclipse]

Yeah, but that is not what I meant. I meant, on the first project page, there is nothing about "contributing"...
Really strange.

[BeckerWdf]

So do it understand it correctly.
You want to remove all the contribution files that simply link to https://github.com/eclipse-platform/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md?

But would don't plan to delete https://github.com/eclipse-platform/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md itself?

My only concern is that if contributors arrive at e.g. the platform project they don't find a link to contribution information. So we should still have an entry point to that information in the single orgs/repos.

[HeikoKlare]

I am fine with the proposed changes. Since GitHub conventions allow to just have one central contributing document in the .github repository of an organization, the only remaining scenario I see where people may search for this information is when they first come to a project, as also mentioned by Matthias:

My only concern is that if contributors arrive at e.g. the platform project they don't find a link to contribution information. So we should still have an entry point to that information in the single orgs/repos.

In this case, I would expect that people first look at information in the readme of a repository. And right now, at least in the Platform repository, we have this information in the readme: https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-contribute
We may check that this is the case for all repositories, but if we have that, I would consider this sufficient.

[BeckerWdf]

In this case, I would expect that people first look at information in the readme of a repository. And right now, at least in the Platform repository, we have this information in the readme: https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-contribute
We may check that this is the case for all repositories, but if we have that, I would consider this sufficient.

That sounds good to me.

[HannesWell]

My only concern is that if contributors arrive at e.g. the platform project they don't find a link to contribution information. So we should still have an entry point to that information in the single orgs/repos.

In this case, I would expect that people first look at information in the readme of a repository. And right now, at least in the Platform repository, we have this information in the readme: https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-contribute We may check that this is the case for all repositories, but if we have that, I would consider this sufficient.

Yes that was absolutely my intention, sorry if this wasn't clear in the initial text.
My plan would be to have a relativly prominent CONTRIBUTING section (exact name can vary) in the README of each repsitory, which links to the organization's CONTRIBUTING.md file and also contains the 'button' for the Oomph setup, similar to how it's in
https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/?tab=readme-ov-file#contributing or for eclipse.platform as Heiko linked it.

I'm maybe blind, but is there a default link to "contrubite" file somewhere in github UI (not im our readme), similar to https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug "code of conduct", "license", "security" etc links both on the right site and the bottom of the page?

You can append /contribute to a repository URL to get basic contributing information like good-first-issues and a link to the repositories or Organization's CONTRIBUTING file. For example:

• https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/contribute (references Orga's contributing file)
• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform/contribute (references repos contributing file)

Unfortunately I haven't found it in the standard GH UI yet, I only know it from Jörg.