perlmeditation moritz <h1><a name="getting_involved_with_perl_6___2010">Getting Involved with Perl 6 - 2010</a></h1> <p>Perl 6 is being developed at a steady pace, and if you're interested, it's quite easy to help. No need to be a compiler writer wizard or a god of Perl 6 specification - any ordinary hacker can help.</p> <p><a name="__index__"></a></p> <ul> <li><a href="#write_some_code">Write some code</a></li> <li><a href="#write_a_module">Write a module</a></li> <li><a href="#web_things">Web things</a></li> <li><a href="#test_suite">Test Suite</a></li> <li><a href="#compilers">Compilers</a></li> <ul> <li><a href="#rakudo">Rakudo</a></li> <li><a href="#mildew">Mildew</a></li> <li><a href="#sprixel_csmeta">Sprixel/csmeta</a></li> <li><a href="#perlito">perlito</a></li> <li><a href="#hibernating_projects">Hibernating projects</a></li> </ul> <li><a href="#guided_contributions">Guided Contributions</a></li> <li><a href="#summary">Summary</a></li> </ul> <hr name="index" /> <!-- INDEX END --> <h2><a name="write_some_code">Write some code</a></h2> <p>Yes, it's that easy. Just write some Perl 6 code. If you think there's something wrong with how [http://rakudo.org/|Rakudo] compiles and executes it, submit a bug report by sending a mail to [mailto://rakudobug@perl.org].</p> <p>This is already a huge help for the Rakudo development team.</p> <p>If you don't know how to write Perl 6 code, grab the latest PDF from the [http://github.com/perl6/book/downloads|Perl 6 book]. If you find anything unclear, please let us know (either via [http://perl6.org/community/irc|IRC], or the [http://perl6.org/community/|perl6-compiler mailing list], or by opening an issue in the github bug tracker).</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="write_a_module">Write a module</a></h2> <p>One step more than writing some Perl 6 code is writing re-usable Perl 6 code. There's a [http://modules.perl6.org/|list of about 50 Perl 6 modules]. You can pick your favourite Perl 5 module, or invent a new one, and let us know about it, so that we can include it in that list.</p> <p>The modules which are easiest to port are pure Perl modules which are not heavy on IO (though pure Perl is not a requirement -- there's also a [http://github.com/jnthn/zavolaj|native call interface (NCI)] for calling C code).</p> <p>Of course you can also pick up an already existing Perl 6 module, and improve it. The community is very open to such contributions, and for many modules you'll get a commit bit to the source repository after your first patch.</p> <p>For example you could help to [http://github.com/moritz/CGI-Application|port CGI::Application to Perl 6]. Or add more plot types and visual candy to [http://github.com/moritz/svg-plot/|SVG::Plot], a plotting/charting library with SVG output.</p> <p>The upcoming [http://use.perl.org/~pmichaud/journal/40407|Rakudo Star release] aims to make it easy for developers to write their own modules, and we hope that will significantly increase the number of Perl 6 modules.</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="web_things">Web things</a></h2> <p>We are always looking for contributors to our various websites, for example [http://perlgeek.de/blog-en/perl-6/contribute-now-try.rakudo.org.writeback|a web shell for Rakudo at try.rakudo.org].</p> <p>There's a also [http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?perl_6|a wiki that needs constant updating].</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="test_suite">Test Suite</a></h2> <p>As always, the test suite needs love, new tests and adaptions according to the latest spec changes.</p> <p>There's a [http://svn.pugscode.org/pugs/t/spec/README|README] for some information about the test suite, for more questions you can ask me directly.</p> <p>It would also be awesome if somebody could collect all the information about the test suite, and produce a website about it.</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="compilers">Compilers</a></h2> <p>In my [id://771635|previous] [id://690945|how-to-get-involved] [id://628746|posts] I have strongly emphasized what you can do for various compilers, but I think in retrospect that it has been unwise.</p> <p>Even though writing parts of a compiler [http://perlgeek.de/blog-en/perl-6/you-are-good-enough.html|is not harder than any other program that parses text files, transforms data and produces output], people seem to have deep respect or awe towards compiler writing.</p> <p> </p> <h3><a name="rakudo">Rakudo</a></h3> <p>Much of [http://rakudo.org/|Rakudo] is written in Perl 6 (or subsets thereof), and little knowledge of Parrot is required to work with it. If you want to contribute, join #perl6 and ask what can be done, or pick an item from the [http://github.com/rakudo/rakudo/blob/master/docs/ROADMAP|ROADMAP] and see if you can do anything for any of them.</p> <p> </p> <h3><a name="mildew">Mildew</a></h3> <p>[http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?mildew|Mildew] uses [TimToady]'s standard grammar, and compiles down to [http://www.perlfoundation.org/perl6/index.cgi?smop|SMOP] code.</p> <p>If you are interested in the meta object protocol, contact [ruoso] or pmurias on #perl6.</p> <p> </p> <h3><a name="sprixel_csmeta">Sprixel/csmeta</a></h3> <p>[diakopter] started [http://code.google.com/p/csmeta/|csmeta], a project to provide a sufficiently flexible .NET runtime environment to run Perl 6 on top of it.</p> <p>Currently various approaches at compiling Perl 6 code to the intermediate language are explored; if you're an explorer too, contact diakopter or sorear on #perl6.</p> <p> </p> <h3><a name="perlito">perlito</a></h3> <p>[http://www.perlito.org/|Perlito], formerly known as MiniPerl6, supports compilation to several other programming languages and backends, for example [http://www.nntp.perl.org/group/perl.perl6.announce/2010/01/msg614.html|Go, the JVM, javascript], Common Lisp and Perl 5.</p> <p>I have been mostly out of touch with the perlito developers, but if that approach appeals to you, contact [fglock] and ask about possible contributions.</p> <p> </p> <h3><a name="hibernating_projects">Hibernating projects</a></h3> <p>Pugs and elf have not been developed any further since my post last year, and I consider them hibernating until proven otherwise.</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="guided_contributions">Guided Contributions</a></h2> <p>Maybe you don't want to pick a project yourself, and rather take some guided excursions into various areas of Perl 6? Then you might be interested in [http://perlgeek.de/blog-en/perl-6/contribute-now-announce.html|this series of weekly, guided tasks] to get you started with contributing to Perl 6.</p> <p>So far we had tasks related to various different Perl 6 projects: Some websites, the test suite, Rakudo, and the Perl 6 book currently being written. Some of the contributors attracted that way have stayed, and contributed various other stuff.</p> <p>Subscribe to the [http://planetsix.perl.org/|Planet Six] RSS feed to keep informed about any new weekly tasks.</p> <p> </p> <h2><a name="summary">Summary</a></h2> <p>There are many different things you can do to help Perl 6 today. Only a few of these tasks require deep hacking wizardry - most just require motivation, and the will to communicate with the rest of the community.</p> <p>If you think Perl 6 is a good idea, don't just wait - take some initiative!</p> <div class="pmsig"><div class="pmsig-616540"> [http://perl6.org/|Perl 6] - links to (nearly) everything that is Perl 6. </div></div>