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                    | vim-ruby RubyForge project README |
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Summary:
  This project contains Vim configuration files for editing and compiling Ruby
  within Vim.  See the project homepage for more details.

Web links:
  Homepage: http://vim-ruby.rubyforge.org
  Project:  http://www.rubyforge.org/vim-ruby

For regular users:
  - The project page should have two tarballs for download:
     - vim-ruby-YYYY.MM.DD.tar.gz  (the current stable release)
     - vim-ruby-devel-YYYY.MM.DD.tar.gz  (cutting-edge features we'd like you
       to test)
  - Please give feedback through the bug tracking and feature request features
    of RubyForge.
  - Feel free to join discussions on the vim-ruby-devel mailing list.
    Instructions on how to join are in the project page somewhere.
  - RubyForge also features forums, but the mailing list is better.

For would-be contributors:
  - Please get the latest from anonymous CVS.
  - Please join the mailing list and discuss changes, submit patches, etc.
  - Thank you very much for taking an interest.

Contents of the project:
  - The autoload, compiler, ftdetect, ftplugin, indent and syntax directories
    contain the ruby*.vim files that are to be copied to a location somewhere
    in the Vim 'runtimepath'.
  - vim-ruby-install.rb performs this copying.

How you get these files into Vim:
  - By downloading the project via a snapshot or anonymous CVS, you can keep
    up with the latest, make changes, and install the files to a Vim
    directory.
  - By downloading one of the tarballs, you can easily install the latest
    stable or development version wherever you like on your machine.  No
    README, no vim-ruby-install.rb, just Vim files.  You would typically
    install these into either $VIM/vimfiles, for system-wide use, or $HOME/.vim
    ($HOME/vimfiles on Windows) for personal use.
  - Remember that when you install Vim in the first place, all of these files
    are present.  The purpose of downloading and installing them from
    RubyForge is to get the latest version of them.

Understanding the configuration files:
  - See www.rubygarden.org/ruby?VimRubySupport
  - Email any one of us or ruby-talk if you want more information added to
    this page.

CVS topics:
  - Files are tagged according to which version of Vim they are released in.
  - The project was initiated in July 2003, when the current version of Vim
    was 6.2.  Thus every file began its life tagged as vim6_2.
  - Modifications to the files are made in the expectation that they need to
    be tested by interested users.  They therefore (probably) don't have a
    tag, and are available via "cvs update -A", or a development snapshot.
  - When a modification is considered stable, it is tagged "stable".
    Everything that is stable gets released in vim-ruby-YYY.MM.DD.tar.gz files.
  - When a new version of Vim is about to be released, the stable tarball is
    contributed to it.  After it has been released, the files are tagged
    accordingly.
  - MORAL OF THE STORY: modifications are committed to the head of the tree;
    when they are ready for release into userland, they are tagged "stable".

Any questions or suggestions?
  - If there's something about the project or its concepts that you don't
    understand, send an email to the project maintainer, Gavin Sinclair
    (gsinclair at gmail.com).
  - To ask about the contents of the configuration files, ask on the mailing
    list, as different people maintain the different files.  Gavin knows
    nothing about the syntax file, for instance. (Come to think of it, nor does
    Doug - djk)

Project gossip:
  - Two of the configuration file maintainers, Doug Kearns and Gavin Sinclair,
    live in Australia (Jindabyne and Sydney respectively).  Tim Hammerquist,
    the last man standing, has lived in the Reno/Lake Tahoe area of Nevada,
    USA, since the late 1970s and doesn't like to gamble; a waste, really.
  - While the individual effort to maintain these files has a long history,
    this actual project began in late July 2003.  Therefore, if you're reading
    this soon thereafter and something doesn't make sense, now is the time to
    let us know.

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