diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f39a22a906a..ff1328754f7 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,16 +1,15 @@ <a href="http://www.discourse.org/"></a> -Discourse is the 100% open source, next-generation discussion platform built for the next 10 years of the Internet. +Discourse is the 100% open source, next-generation discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet. Whenever you need ... -* a mailing list -* a forum to discuss something -* a chat room where you can type paragraphs +- a mailing list +- a forum to discuss something +- a chat room where you can type paragraphs ... consider Discourse. - ## Getting Started If you're interested in helping us develop Discourse, please start with our **[Discourse Vagrant Developer Guide](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/docs/VAGRANT.md)**, which includes instructions to get up and running in a development environment using a virtual machine. It's the easiest way to hack on Discourse. @@ -19,36 +18,43 @@ If you're familiar with how Rails works and are comfortable setting up your own ### Requirements -* PostgreSQL 9.1+ -* Redis 2+ +- PostgreSQL 9.1+ +- Redis 2.6+ +- Ruby 1.9.3+ ## Vision -This is the **Civilized Discourse Construction Kit**, a fully open-source package of forum software that is free to use and contribute to. Discourse embraces the changes that are necessary to evolve forum software, namely: +This is a **Civilized Discourse Construction Kit**, an 100% open-source discussion platform that is free to use and contribute to -- forever. -* A **flattened discussion**, which avoids the pains of threaded forums, and delivers a more robust, intuitive interface to join a conversation at any point. -* A **self-learning system**, capable of examining the behavior of the community, and adapting to budding moderators and forum trolls alike. -* A **seamless web-only** interface that delivers usability on both the desktop and the tablet, without the need for a native app. -* A **contemporary, robust technology stack**, so that both users and administrators alike have another choice BESIDES php. +Key Discourse mission goals: + +- **Flattened discussion**, to avoid the akwardness of threaded discussion, while attaching replies which can be expanded in place for additional context. +- A **user trust system** that grants users additional rights to assist in moderating the forum as they participate in good faith over time. The goal is for the forum to be nearly self-moderating in the absence of any formal moderators, although excellent moderators accelerate the process greatly. +- An **advanced JavaScript app** which runs in modern browsers, but delivers usability on both the desktop and the tablet, without the need for a native app. +- A **contemporary, robust technology stack**, free of legacy PHP and MySQL constraints limiting developers and administrators. The Discourse team wishes to **foster an active community of contributors**, all of whom commit to delivering this continued vision, and ensure that online discussions can grow and thrive in an Internet age dominated by micro-blogging and diminishing attention spans. This vision translates to the following functional commitments: -1. Support all contemporary browsers on the desktop: - * Internet Explorer 9.0, 10.0+ - * Firefox 16+ - * Google Chrome *infinite* - -2. Supporting the latest generation of tablets: - * iPad 2+ - * Android 4.1+ on 7" and 10" - * Windows 8 +1. Support only modern browsers on the desktop: -3. Deliver support for mobile/smartphones *as soon as possible*: - * Windows Phone 8 - * iPhone 4+ - * Android 4.0+ + - Internet Explorer 9.0, 10.0+ + - Firefox 16+ + - Google Chrome *infinite* + - Safari 5+ + +2. Support the latest generation of tablets: + + - iPad 2+ + - Android 4.1+ on 7" and 10" + - Windows 8 + +3. Deliver support for the latest generation of small screen mobile/smartphones *as soon as possible*: + + - Windows Phone 8 + - iOS 5+ + - Android 4.0+ ## Contributing @@ -63,9 +69,9 @@ In order to be prepared for contributing to Discourse, please: 1. Review the **VISION** section above, which will help you understand the needs of the team, and the focus of the project, 2. Read & sign the **[Electronic Discourse Forums Contribution License Agreement](https://docs.google.com/a/discourse.org/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGUwejFfbDhDYXR4bVFMRG1TUENqLWc6MQ)**, to confirm you've read and acknowledged the legal aspects of your contributions, and 3. Dig into **[CONTRIBUTING.MD](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md)**, which houses all of the necessary info to: - * submit bugs, - * request new features, and - * step you through the entire process of preparing your code for a Pull Request. + - submit bugs, + - request new features, and + - step you through the entire process of preparing your code for a Pull Request. **We look forward to seeing your cool stuff!** @@ -97,9 +103,9 @@ Releases will be numbered with the following format: And constructed with the following guidelines: -* Breaking backward compatibility bumps the major (and resets the minor and patch) -* New additions without breaking backward compatibility bumps the minor (and resets the patch) -* Bug fixes and misc changes bumps the patch +- Breaking backward compatibility bumps the major (and resets the minor and patch) +- New additions without breaking backward compatibility bumps the minor (and resets the patch) +- Bug fixes and misc changes bumps the patch For more information on SemVer, please visit http://semver.org/.