Core Bitcoin Development Help Wanted

[Gavin Andresen]

The list of possible new features and bugs at https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues is getting longer every day; I'd like to see the bugs resolved before the bug list gets so long we all just start ignoring it.

So:  who is willing and able to help out?  Don't ask permission, just jump in, grab a bug that catches your interest, add comments to it as you start to figure out what the problem is (or isn't), and submit a PULL request when you have a fix.

Your reward will be recognition, admiration and respect.  It is time to take bitcoin from, essentially, a single-programmer project to a robust open source project with lots of contributors.

[gigitrix]

Alas, if I knew C++  

Might dl the sources so that I can work on smaller bugs though: I'm a LAMP guy but if there are little things I might be able to help. Then again, the issue list looks like gobbledegook to me, so I might not be that much help!

You might want to sticky this and make the title less generic though: it looks like the usual "how does it work" clarification type posts

[davout]

if I knew C++  

+1

Do like me, start with labels =)
https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/32

That's really all I feel comfortable with (well actually not, I was wondering whether I should update locale files...)

[Gavin Andresen]

That's really all I feel comfortable with (well actually not, I was wondering whether I should update locale files...)

Improving help is definitely helping-- thanks!

And it would be fantastic to get somebody who knows, or is willing to learn, git to step up and volunteer to submit translation file patches.

I'll soon be asking for building and testing help, too (after fixing another couple of bugs, I think it'll be time to pull non-controversial patches into the integration tree and start some serious testing to prepare for another release).

[genjix]

Damn, this is a project I'd really love to get involved with if I wasn't under so many persistent pressures... Lots of exciting areas to muck around in.

[Luke-Jr]

Various bugs fixed on branches listed at https://code.launchpad.net/~luke-jr
I'd be glad to redo them in Git if someone cares to mirror/move the Git-side of things to free software (such as Gitorious), rather than GitHub (which is anti-free software).

[davout]

rather than GitHub (which is anti-free software).

meh

[jgarzik]

I'd be glad to redo them in Git if someone cares to mirror/move the Git-side of things to free software (such as Gitorious), rather than GitHub (which is anti-free software).

Just post your to-be-pulled branches on the sanctified git server of your choice.

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

Git-side of things to free software (such as Gitorious), rather than GitHub (which is anti-free software).

Can you post some more details ?

EDIT:
Never mind, found it out myself:

The source code for GitHub itself, as well as egitd, the Erlang implementation of git-daemon, are proprietary – that's the main difference between GitHub and Gitorious

[dooglus]

And it would be fantastic to get somebody who knows, or is willing to learn, git to step up and volunteer to submit translation file patches.

I know git, and have time on my hands (as evidenced by the number of typo corrections I've made recently in the wiki...).  I'd be willing to submit translation file patches if it doesn't require me being able to speak languages other than English...  Let me know what you need.

I'll soon be asking for building and testing help, too (after fixing another couple of bugs, I think it'll be time to pull non-controversial patches into the integration tree and start some serious testing to prepare for another release).

I only have Ubuntu on the computers here, but have various versions (10.04, 10.10, 11.04 pre-release) so can build and test on those.

In the mean time I'll take a look at the bug list and see if there's anything I can work on.  I have a fair bit of C++ experience, but am quite new to Bitcoin.

[bitcoinex]

Two suggestions:

1. Not to touch anything and make "a week of refactoring".

I personally do not quite understand the code which is in one giant file main.cpp. I twice tried to start watch it but fell asleep in the middle. Git does not like this arrangement of the code too.

2. We're all bitcoin millionaires and billionaires (except of me, probably). Maybe it's time to hire 1-2 employees? Or establish a reward for bugs busters?

I am concerned about errors that prevent realize listtransatstions ( https://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=2306.0  ). From a distance at least one bug look quite dangerous: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/#issue/28

[Gavin Andresen]

1. Not to touch anything and make "a week of refactoring".

I personally do not quite understand the code which is in one giant file main.cpp. I twice tried to start watch it but fell asleep in the middle. Git does not like this arrangement of the code too.

Having spent a lot of time working with the existing code, I don't think splitting the code into multiple files would make it much easier to work with.  The hard part is figuring out how everything fits together (for example "if I have a CWalletTx, how do I get the CBlock that it is in (if any)?").  Just rearranging the code that is there now won't make that problem any better.

2. We're all bitcoin millionaires and billionaires (except of me, probably). Maybe it's time to hire 1-2 employees? Or establish a reward for bugs busters?

I don't think anybody who has worked on the code, except for Satoshi, has a lot of bitcoins.  I certainly don't.  I hope to earn some with Clearcoin....

I am concerned about errors that prevent realize listtransatstions ( https://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=2306.0  ). From a distance at least one bug look quite dangerous: https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/#issue/28

The listaccounts bug is nearly fixed.  I cannot reproduce the dangerous-looking bug, even running bitcoind under the valgrind memory-checking tool (valgrind actually simulates machine instructions to catch memory access errors)-- tcatm seems to be the only person having the issue.

[Luke-Jr]

I've created a Gitorious project at http://gitorious.org/bitcoin/bitcoin (via git, git://gitorious.org/bitcoin/bitcoin.git )

Currently, its master branch mirrors the GitHub one, but with a few bugfixes I added.

I also have a "neutral" branch which has a (backward-compatible) RPC API upgrade to version 1 (the older being 0) which removes (in principle, but not code) the deprecated methods, and uses base units rather than floating-point decimal BitCoin values (this makes it neutral between decimal and tonal, makes it faster for devices without a FPU, and fixes possible accuracy problems due to unexpected floating-point approximations). Constructive design, API. and code review is welcome and appreciated.

Others are welcome to use Gitorious rather than GitHub for development as well; contact me if you need to be added to the Gitorious project (or if some senior developers want to take over the Gitorious project, I'm sure there's a way to transfer control of it, too).

[dooglus]

Currently, its master branch mirrors the GitHub one, but with a few bugfixes I added.

This (http://gitorious.org/bitcoin/bitcoin/commit/c16b9402673cf7376c81cad4fe00fc2099e790a8) doesn't look like a bug fix:

Code:

-  int64 nAmount = roundint64(dAmount * 100.00) * CENT;
+  int64 nAmount = (int64)(dAmount * (double)COIN);

It looks like removing a feature that was deliberately added.

You should open a thread on the forum to discuss whether being able to make sub-cent payments using the RPC interface is something most people want.

Chris.

[dduane]

I'd love to have sub-cents payments both in the RPC and in the GUI. 

[tcatm]

I added version tags (0.3.20 and 0.3.21 for now) to some issues and will try to keep them up to date so we'll always know what's blocking a release.

[tuxsoul]

I added version tags (0.3.20 and 0.3.21 for now) to some issues and will try to keep them up to date so we'll always know what's blocking a release.

hi,

i can't find that tags, is possible can you tell me which commit is 0.3.20 and 0.3.21 ?

greeting's.

[henrik]

I'm working my way up to a home compiled version, but got confused.
Win and Unix uses db 4.7 but Mac uses db 4.8
Is this intended? As long as I don't trie to copy between the platforms it would work, but I was puzzeled.

Nice work!

[genjix]

Why not keep an up-to-date TODO list of small tasks for new developers to get mucked into? A launchpad.

[Dixie]

Yeah.I was trying my best to say it out