The PyClaw repository is hosted on Github at http://github.com/clawpack/pyclaw.
PyClaw development follows the model outlined at http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/, with one important difference. The master branch is used for development. New branches are created for releases. A nice cheat-sheet is available at http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.globallinuxsecurity.pro/static/git/cheetsheet.pdf.
Contributions in the form of pull requests are also welcome; this approach is probably the most convenient for occasional contributors, or for major new contributions like additional solvers.
If you find a bug, post an issue with as much explanation as possible on the Issue tracker at https://github.com/clawpack/pyclaw/issues. If you're looking for something useful to do, try tackling one of the issues listed there.
At the moment, developer communication takes place on the following google groups:
- http://groups.google.com/group/petclaw-dev/ -- for things relevant only to PyClaw/PetClaw
- http://groups.google.com/group/claw-dev/ -- for things relevant to the larger Clawpack community
In general, introduction of additional dependencies should be avoided. If you wish to make a change that will introduce a new dependency (including depending on a more recent version of a particular package), it should be discussed on the Google group first.
New versions of existing dependencies will typically be adopted either when new functionality provides an important benefit for PyClaw or when the currently supported version is deemed to be substantially outdated.
Always make sure the tests pass before committing, even if you are not yet pushing.
Be verbose in your commit messages.
It's helpful to always work in a named branch when developing a new feature, and to merge with the --no-ff option so that the history shows distinctly the development of the feature.
When running the tests, if your machine has multiple cores you can take advantage of them by doing:
$ nosetests --processes=2
(replace "2" with the number of processes you want to spawn).