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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Contribution

Invitation to contribute

How can I contribute to the eBGF?

The work on the eBGF is an open, transparent and collaborative project. We would like to invite anyone with interest in contributing to the project to get in touch.

You can use the following ways to contribute:

RFCs

Definition of RFCs

What are RFCs?

RFCs (Request for Comments) are usually being used as a text format for technical documents and standards.

For the eBGF we have adapted the original concept of RFCs for our purposes. In our context, RFCs are defined as text documents with a given structure, that will support collaborative writing on specific topics. You can think of RFCs as a form.

Naming of RFCs

How are RFCs named and numbered?

New RFCs are named according to the topic, the number fitting the category. Any new RFC gets a 4 digit number, the first two digits define the category, the third digit the subcategory and the fourth digit the place in the sequence of documents within a subcategory. The name of the document should be short, distinct and recognizable.

Please be sure to edit the mkdocs.yaml file once you create, delete or rename a document.

Also note if a document has no '# Title' the yaml file defines the title on the website, the navigation stays untouched by the markdown files.

Structure of RFCs

How are RFCs structured?

  1. Abstract

    (1-2 sentences)

  2. Content **

    (max. +- 2.000 characters, former “motivation” section)

  3. Elaboration **

    (max. +- 5.000 characters)

  4. Internal references and dependencies

    (Lists of internal references and dependencies)

  5. References to best practice, examples

    (List of references to best practice, examples)

  6. Bibliography of selected references

    (List of references and literature)

Please note that this structure might be due to changes in the process of the work and the progress of the writing.

Text format for editing RFCs

What is the text format for editing RFCs?

All RFCs and other documents are written in markdown.

Contributing to existing RFCs

How can I comment or contribute to existing RFCs?

Edits to existing RFCs can be committed and pushed to Github via pull requests. From there, updates to the website will happen automatically.

To understand how the GitHub flow works, we recommend a quick 5 min. read: https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/

Experienced users can use a GitHub Desktop Client.

Document organization

How do I describe what I am working on?

Within the framework we have basically two types of documents: introductions and RFCs. Both can also be called documents buts RFCs only cover specific topics, e. g., "Consensus" or "Interopability". Topics or RFCs can also be grouped, e. g., "Permissions" is the group for read and write permissions. Every group and chapter has its own introduction and includes the name of the chapter or group it introduces.