Merge pull request #35544 from thockin/contrib-doc

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -4,48 +4,101 @@ Want to hack on kubernetes? Yay!
 
 ## Developer Guide
 
-We have a [Developer's Guide](docs/devel/README.md) that outlines everything you need to know from setting up your dev environment to how to get faster Pull Request reviews. If you find something undocumented or incorrect along the way, please feel free to send a Pull Request.
+We have a [Developer's Guide](docs/devel/README.md) that outlines everything
+you need to know from setting up your dev environment to how to get faster Pull
+Request reviews. If you find something undocumented or incorrect along the way,
+please feel free to send a Pull Request.
 
 ## Filing issues
 
-If you have a question about Kubernetes or have a problem using it, please read the [troubleshooting guide](docs/troubleshooting.md) before filing an issue.
+If you have a question about Kubernetes or have a problem using it, please
+start with the [troubleshooting guide](docs/troubleshooting.md).  If that
+doesn't answer your questions, or if you think you found a bug, please [file an
+issue](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/new).
 
 ## How to become a contributor and submit your own code
 
 ### Contributor License Agreements
 
-We'd love to accept your patches! Before we can take them, we have to jump a couple of legal hurdles.
+We'd love to accept your patches! Before we can take them, we have to jump a
+couple of legal hurdles.
 
-Please fill out either the individual or corporate Contributor License Agreement (CLA).
+Please fill out either the individual or corporate Contributor License
+Agreement (CLA).  As of Q4 2016, we're transitioning from Google's CLA to the
+Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) CLA.
 
-  * If you are an individual writing original source code and you're sure you own the intellectual property, then you'll need to sign an [individual CLA](http://code.google.com/legal/individual-cla-v1.0.html).
-  * If you work for a company that wants to allow you to contribute your work, then you'll need to sign a [corporate CLA](http://code.google.com/legal/corporate-cla-v1.0.html).
+Google:
+  * If you are an individual writing original source code and you're sure you
+    own the intellectual property, then you'll need to sign an [individual
+    CLA](http://code.google.com/legal/individual-cla-v1.0.html).
+  * If you work for a company that wants to allow you to contribute your work,
+    then you'll need to sign a [corporate
+    CLA](http://code.google.com/legal/corporate-cla-v1.0.html).
 
-Follow either of the two links above to access the appropriate CLA and instructions for how to sign and return it. Once we receive it, we'll be able to accept your pull requests.
+CNCF:
+  * To contribute as an individual or as am employee of a signed organization,
+    [go here](https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/projects/cncf).
+  * To sign up as an organization, [go
+    here](https://identity.linuxfoundation.org/node/285/organization-signup).
 
-***NOTE***: Only original source code from you and other people that have signed the CLA can be accepted into the main repository. This policy does not apply to [third_party](third_party/).
+Once you are CLA'ed, we'll be able to accept your pull requests.
+
+***NOTE***: Only original source code from you and other people that have
+signed the CLA can be accepted into the repository. This policy does not
+apply to [third_party](third_party/) and [vendor](vendor/).
+
+### Finding Things That Need Help
+
+If you're new to the project and want to help, but don't know where to start,
+we have a semi-curated list of issues that have should not need deep knowledge
+of the system.  [Have a look and see if anything sounds
+interesting](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3Ahelp-wanted).
+
+Alternatively, read some of the many docs on the system, for example [the
+architecture](docs/design/architecture.md), and pick a component that seems
+interesting.  Start with `main()` (look in the [cmd](cmd/) directory) and read
+until you find something you want to fix.  The best way to learn is to hack!
+There's always code that can be clarified and variables or functions that can
+be renamed or commented.
 
 ### Contributing A Patch
 
+If you're working on an existing issue, such as one of the `help-wanted` ones
+above, simply respond to the issue and express interest in working on it.  This
+helps other people know that the issue is active, and hopefully prevents
+duplicated efforts.
+
+If you want to work on a new idea of relatively small scope:
+
 1. Submit an issue describing your proposed change to the repo in question.
-1. The repo owner will respond to your issue promptly.
-1. If your proposed change is accepted, and you haven't already done so, sign a Contributor License Agreement (see details above).
-1. Fork the desired repo, develop and test your code changes.
+1. The repo owners will respond to your issue promptly.
+1. If your proposed change is accepted, and you haven't already done so, sign a
+   Contributor License Agreement (see details above).
+1. Fork the repo, develop, and test your changes.
 1. Submit a pull request.
 
+If you want to work on a bigger idea, we STRONGLY recommend that you start with
+some bugs or smaller features.  We have a [feature development
+process](https://github.com/kubernetes/features/blob/master/README.md), but
+navigating the Kubernetes system as a newcomer can be very challenging.
+
 ### Protocols for Collaborative Development
 
-Please read [this doc](docs/devel/collab.md) for information on how we're running development for the project.
-Also take a look at the [development guide](docs/devel/development.md) for information on how to set up your environment, run tests, manage dependencies, etc.
+Please read [this doc](docs/devel/collab.md) for information on how we're
+running development for the project.  Also take a look at the [development
+guide](docs/devel/development.md) for information on how to set up your
+environment, run tests, manage dependencies, etc.
 
 ### Adding dependencies
 
-If your patch depends on new packages, add that package with [`godep`](https://github.com/tools/godep).  Follow the [instructions to add a dependency](docs/devel/development.md#godep-and-dependency-management).
+If your patch depends on new packages, add that package with
+[`godep`](https://github.com/tools/godep).  Follow the [instructions to add a
+dependency](docs/devel/development.md#godep-and-dependency-management).
 
 ### Community Expectations
 
-Please see our [expectations](docs/devel/community-expectations.md) for members of the
-Kubernetes community.
+Please see our [expectations](docs/devel/community-expectations.md) for members
+of the Kubernetes community.