# Howto contribute improvements to FreeBSD



## sidetone (Feb 24, 2016)

*FreeBSD Mailing Lists:*
To send an email to the FreeBSD mailing list, make sure your email is sent in plain text, as HTML and attachments are filtered out. A subscription is not required, but it will have to be moderated. If you're having problems sending to the mailing list, please test your post at freebsd-test@freebsd.org. Find the most appropriate mailing list at https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/eresources-mail.html , and don't send the same issue to more than two mailing lists.

*Ports:*
*Circular Dependencies:*
Aside from circular dependencies representing inefficiencies in FreeBSD ports, they break installations. Sometimes, this symptom can show if ports and packages are mixed. If you find circular dependencies, report them to the FreeBSD mailing list at freebsd-ports@freebsd.org. See Porter's Handbook: 5.8.11. Circular Dependencies Are Fatal

To make results repeatable, you can go to the ports directory and check options recursively
`cd /usr/ports/dir/program
make rmconfig-recursive
make config-recursive`
"`make config-recursive`" may have to be typed several times. Any dependency with the ability to display twice can be reported to the mailing list. Be sure you update the ports-tree before reporting circular dependencies.

*Port bugs:*
Can be sent to bugzilla with an account. Discussions can also be sent to freebsd-ports-bugs@freebsd.org Bugs for ports can also be sent to the homepage of the ports. Port maintainers duty is to maintain how the port builds, and they typically do not fix program bugs.
*
Kernel crashes:*
Kernel panics and faults are supposed to be reported as bugs. Be sure you're using a supported version of FreeBSD, and that there are no hardware errors. Search bugzilla to make sure no one reported the bug before you. Kernel crash logs are in the directory /var/crash/. See the "Logs" section below.

*Forums:*
If you are unsure, you can post at a relevant section in these FreeBSD's forums.

*Logs:*
You may have to send details of a log file for others to help troubleshoot. This directory is /var/log/, or /var/crash/. To view /var/crash/ logs, devdump must be enabled in /etc/rc.conf. For instance:

```
dumpdev="AUTO"
```
*Documentation:*
To make a suggestion in the FreeBSD Handbook, or man-pages please see FreeBSD Documentation Project, and it's section Submitting documentation. You may make suggestions to freebsd-doc@freebsd.org, but a bug report and a diff file may be required.

https://wiki.freebsd.org/ is made for documentation by developers. There are also non-affiliated FreeBSD websites where documentation can be made.

*Other:*


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## hukadan (Feb 25, 2016)

There is an article in the documentation related to user contribution. May be you could add the corresponding link (https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/contributing/article.html) so people reading your post can be redirected to the corresponding part of the documentation.


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## sidetone (Nov 14, 2017)

*Mailing list etiquette:*
To respond, put "_Re:_ " at the beginning of the subject of your email.
To respond to a specific post as well: send the email to both the mailing list address, and to the email address of the responding user in the email list.

FreeBSD Bugzilla reports are automatically entered in associated mailing lists titled as bugs.


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