Home

Patch Party FAQs and Help


General

Features

Patches


Bounties


Patch Chip-Ins

Plans

Membership


Developer Membership

Support

Support Subscriptions


Phone Support


Chat Support

Fees

PayPal


General



What is Patch Party?


Patch Party is a place for software developers to publish and support their open source patches.

Finding patches isn't an easy task.

  1. Do you know exactly where to find a patch for a particular software?
  2. Can you find a patch that does what you want?
  3. Can you find a patch that works with the current version of the software?
  4. Can you find a patch that someone is supporting?

These types of problems are really frustrating to everyone in the open source community, both developers and non-developers.

It's time for a solution!
Back to Top


What is Open Source?


"Open source usually refers to software that is released with source code under a license that ensures that derivative works will also be available as source code, protects certain rights of the original authors, and prohibits restrictions on how the software can be used or who can use it."

-- O'Reilly

Back to Top


Who created Patch Party?

Patch Party was launched in the month of April, 2011 by Yonas Yanfa and Hizkias Yanfa.
Back to Top


Why was Patch Party created?

The motivation comes out of a frustration with Drupal patches. We've seen countless valuable patches just sitting in the issue queue for months or years for many reasons:

  1. It didn't meet the developer standards.
  2. After a couple of changes to the patch:
    • The main software was in a code-freeze, and the patch was delayed.
    • ...or the code-freeze is over, but the software has changed since then, the patch doesn't apply cleanly anymore.
    • Drupal is changing from Drupal 6 to Drupal 7, so the developers don't care about it until they finish their transition to Drupal 7
    • Developers are waiting to see the outcome of specific changes to:
      • The upcoming Drupal 7 API
      • Another related issue
  3. The patch could be waiting on another issue, which is waiting on yet another issue, etc.
  4. If stars are in just the right positions in the sky, the developers will very slowly get back to this patch. Otherwise, the patch will die in the issue queue.
  5. During this lengthly process, perhaps 100+ people feverishly requested that the patch be included into the main software.
  6. The entire process took anywhere from a few weeks, to a few months, or even 4 years.
    • Patches waiting in the issue queue for more than 2 years is sadly not uncommon.

We can solve this problem problem - not only for the Drupal community, but the open source community in general.
Back to Top


Patches



What is a patch?


A patch is a record of changes made to a set of [files]. Typically a patch will add a new feature, fix a bug, or add documentation to the project.

Patches are the preferred way to submit contributions to open development projects such as open source software. The contributor creates a patch and submits it to the project. The project maintainer can then inspect the changes and optionally apply them to the main code base. Various tools are available to help with patches. These tools make it very easy to create and manage patches for project outputs such as source code and documentation. Patches and patch management tools are the key to building an active community of contributors to an open development project.

-- OSS Watch

Back to Top


I'm a software developer. How do I create a patch?

Login and go to Create Patch and select what type of software you would like to patch. The choices are:

  • Drupal module: Drupal is an extremely popular and well-built Content Management System (CMS).
  • GitHub project: GitHub is a popular places for developers to store their source code.
  • Patch Chip-In: See the Patch Chip-In section.

Back to Top


I'm a software developer. How do I edit my patch?

The easiest way to edit your patch is to use our online patch editor. Once you've logged in, you will see a link to the Patch Editor in the menu.

You can view and commit your changes using the patch editor.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. What type of patches can I create?

Login and go to Create Patch and select what type of software you would like to patch. The choices are:

  • Drupal module: Drupal is an extremely popular and well-built Content Management System (CMS).
  • GitHub project: GitHub is a popular places for developers to store their source code.
  • Patch Chip-In: See the Patch Chip-In section.

Back to Top


Bounties



What is a bounty?


A bounty is a reward or incentive offered by a member of the community for implementing a new feature. The incentive is usually money, but it could be anything a developer is willing to accept as compenstation: A CD, computer monitor, 56" wide screen TV, or Ferrari would work well. Peanuts, bananas, or Celine Dion tickets probably would not.

Why offer a bounty?

  • Support the developers of the software.
  • Insure that a feature is implemented the way you want in the time frame you want.
  • Get rid of any excess cash you have laying around.

-- Ubercart

Back to Top


How do I post a bounty?

Login and go to Bounty Hunter. You can search for bounties and patches that already exist. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can create a Bounty.
Back to Top


Who will respond to my bounty?

Developers that have experience with the software you would like to customize will respond to our bounty.
Back to Top


What type of bounties can I post?

You can request customization for any open source software.
Back to Top


Patch Chip-Ins



What is a Patch Chip-In?

Developers that want to contribute back to the community by releasing their software as open source in exchange for a one-time cost can create a Patch Chip-In.
Back to Top


How does it work?

  • Do you have software that you would like to contribute to the open source community?
  • Would you like a small compenstation for your hard work?

Login and create a Patch Chip-In!

Creating a Patch Chip-In allows anyone to contribute a small amount of money to this cause. When the goal is reached, the software will be released as open source.

At that time, anyone will be able to use the software.
Back to Top


Who can contribute to a Patch Chip-In?

Anyone can contribute to a Patch Chip-In.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. What type of patches can I post as a Patch Chip-In?

You can post any type of software, as long as you are willing to release the software under a Creative Commons License.
Back to Top


Membership



What types of memberships are available?

We would like to hear from you! What type of services would you like to be part of a membership plan?
Back to Top


What types of memberships are available to developers?

Please see our plans and pricing.
Back to Top


Support Subscriptions



What are support subscriptions?

You can purchase support from developers that are willing to offer support for their patches. They may offer support in the forums, over the phone, or through online chat.
Back to Top


Who is giving the support?

The developer who created the patch.
Back to Top


Which patches offer support subscriptions?

You can see all the available support subscriptions for a particular patch by going to the patch's main page. The subscription will include information about what types of support are offered, such as forums, phone, or online chat, and any other conditions.

You can also go to the Bounty Hunter and select "Support Subscription" under Type.
Back to Top


Phone Support



What is the phone support all about?

We're offering developers and subscribers the ability to easily communicate with eachother over the phone. Developers connect to our phone system using a software (SIP) phone. Subscribers can call our toll-free number 1-855-55-PATCH (72824) and enter the developer's extension.

To see if the developer is at his phone, login and go to Phone and Chat Support. If the developer is not available, you can leave a voicemail.
Back to Top


Which developers are offering phone support?

Go to the Bounty Hunter and select "Support Subscription" under Type and select "Available" under Phone support.
Back to Top


What time and day can I call?

These details will be in the description of the subscription.
Back to Top


I tried calling, and was asked to authorize my phone number. How do I do that?

Login and go to Phone Setup and add your phone number under "Phone Setup".
Back to Top


How do I refill my balance?

Login and go to My Balance. Enter how much funds you would like to add and click OK. Payment is made through PayPal.

You can check your balance at any time by logging in and going to My Balance.
Back to Top


How will I know when my balance is low?

While talking on the phone with a developer, you will hear a low balance message when you have 10 minutes remaining, and other message when you have 1 minute remaining.

You can check your balance at any time by logging in and going to My Balance.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. How do I offer phone support?

Go to the patch you would like to offer phone support for, and click on one of your subscriptions. Go to the edit tab and select "Available" under Phone support.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. Which software phone (SIP phone) should I use to log into the phone system?

Any software phone that supports SIP.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. Are missed calls recorded? Do I have voicemail?

Yes, you can check your voicemail by dialing *98.
Back to Top


Chat Support



What is the chat support all about?

We're offering developers and subscribers the ability to easily communicate with eachother through online chat. Developers connect to our chat system using a chat client that supports XMPP. Subscribers can chat with a developer by going to Phone and Chat Support.

To see if the developer is online, login and go to Phone and Chat Support.
Back to Top


Which developers are offering chat support?

Go to the Bounty Hunter and select "Support Subscription" under Type and select "Available" under Chat support.
Back to Top


What time and day can I chat?

These details will be in the description of the subscription.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. How do I offer chat support?

Go to the patch you would like to offer chat support for, and click on one of your subscriptions. Go to the edit tab and select "Available" under Chat support.
Back to Top


I'm a software developer. Which chat programs should I use?

Any chat client that supports XMPP.
Back to Top


Fees



What are the fees for posting a patch?

Creating patches is FREE.
Back to Top


What are the fees for posting a bounty?

Creating bounties is FREE.
Back to Top


What are the fees for posting a Patch Chip-In?

Creating a Patch Chip-In is FREE.
Back to Top


What are the fees for forum support?

This is already included in the price of your support subscription if the developer has chosen to include forum support.
Back to Top


What are the fees for chat support?

This is already included in the price of your support subscription if the developer has chosen to include chat support.
Back to Top


What are the fees for phone support?

10¢ (ten cents) per minute.
Back to Top


PayPal



What is PayPal?

  • A leader in online payments with over 193 million accounts worldwide, PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online.
  • PayPal makes online shopping fast, fun and easy, and it's accepted by thousands of merchants all over the world.
  • With PayPal, you don't have to worry about exposing your financial information -- PayPal never shares it with merchants.

Back to Top


Why pay with PayPal?

  • A leader in online payments with over 193 million accounts worldwide, PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online.
  • PayPal makes online shopping fast, fun and easy, and it's accepted by thousands of merchants all over the world.
  • With PayPal, you don't have to worry about exposing your financial information -- PayPal never shares it with merchants.

Back to Top


Is PayPal secure?

Your financial security is our highest priority. You're protected from any unauthorized payment made from your PayPal account.
Back to Top

Solution Graphics

PatchParty.com is a product of Build On Technologies

Design by artinet