B2G/Hacking

Tools

Bugzilla

Most code changes within the Mozilla project are tracked in Bugzilla. B2G is somewhat of an exception as it uses GitHub for the non-Gecko parts. All of Gecko is tracked in Bugzilla, however.

Basic workflow

• Every code change to Gecko must have a corresponding bug on file where the general approach can be discussed.
• The bug should eventually be assigned to somebody who will upload one or more patches for review.
• Code can only be reviewed by module owners and their peers; see code review policy for more information
• If the review has been granted and all review comments have been addressed, the patches may be checked into mozilla-inbound. If the changes pass the automated tests there, they will eventually be uplifted to mozilla-central which is the canonical repository for Gecko. If they don't pass the tests, they will be backed out.
• It is not uncommon to track bugs that are part of a larger, more long term project in so-called "tracking" or "meta" bugs. This allows people to watch the those meta/tracking bugs and receive updates whenever one of the dependencies change.

Get up to speed

• A good start is to go watch Jonath's "Bugzilla for Humans" video.
• Don't forget to add a Bugzilla ID shortcut string to your Bugzilla account preferences. The current standard practice is to append "<whitespace>[:irc_nick]" to your Real Name field, so for instance "Philipp von Weitershausen [:philikon]"
• You also want to watch the components relevant to your work so you automatically get emails for all bug changes in those components. You can [component watching in the Buzilla preferences].
• Components to watch for B2G-related bugs:
  • Everything in the Boot2Gecko product (this product covers the top-level b2g directory in mozilla-central)
  • In the Core product, DOM: Device Interfaces is of the most interest. This is where device WebAPIs such as telephony, SMS, bluetooth, etc. are tracked.
• Meta bugs to watch:
  • bug 715781 - B2G milestone 1: developer phone
  • bug 715782 - B2G milestone 2: demo phone
  • bug 715784 - B2G milestone 3: product phone

Hacking on ...

Gaia

Please see the Hacking on Gaia document.