# Contributing Guidelines

Contributions welcome!

**Before spending lots of time on something, ask for feedback on your idea first!**

Please search issues and pull requests before adding something new to avoid duplicating
efforts and conversations.

This project welcomes non-code contributions, too! The following types of contributions
are welcome:

- **Ideas**: participate in an issue thread or start your own to have your voice heard.
- **Writing**: contribute your expertise in an area by helping expand the included docs.
- **Copy editing**: fix typos, clarify language, and improve the quality of the docs.
- **Formatting**: help keep docs easy to read with consistent formatting.

## Project Governance

[Pull request from a fork](https://help.github.com/articles/creating-a-pull-request-from-a-fork/)
are welcome!

Individuals making significant and valuable contributions are given commit-access to the
project to contribute as they see fit. 

### Rules

There are a few basic ground-rules for contributors:

1. **No `--force` pushes** or modifying the Git history in any way.
2. **Non-master branches** should be used for ongoing work.
3. **Significant modifications** like API changes should be subject to a **pull request**
   to solicit feedback from other contributors.
4. **Pull requests** are *encouraged* for all contributions to solicit feedback, but left to
   the discretion of the contributor.

### Releases

Declaring formal releases remains the prerogative of the project maintainer.

### Changes to this arrangement

This is an experiment and feedback is welcome! This document may also be subject to pull-
requests or changes by contributors where you believe you have something valuable to add
or change.

## Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1

By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:

- (a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I have the right to
  submit it under the open source license indicated in the file; or

- (b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best of my knowledge, is
  covered under an appropriate open source license and I have the right under that license
  to submit that work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part by me, under
  the same open source license (unless I am permitted to submit under a different
  license), as indicated in the file; or

- (c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other person who certified
  (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified it.

- (d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution are public and that a
  record of the contribution (including all personal information I submit with it,
  including my sign-off) is maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent
  with this project or the open source license(s) involved.
