CONTRIBUTE: polished

- rewrite the keywords section to use less quoted texts
- add "When the pull request is approved"
- change some titles

Closes #14691

.github/scripts/badwords.txt

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ aren't:are not
  url =URL
 internet\b=Internet
 isation:ization
-it's:it is
+\bit's:it is
 it'd:it would
 there's:there is
 [^.]\. And: Rewrite it somehow?

.github/scripts/spellcheck.words

@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ codeql
 CODESET
 codeset
 Comcast
+commit's
 Config
 config
 conncache

docs/CONTRIBUTE.md

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Before posting to one of the curl mailing lists, please read up on the
 We also hang out on IRC in #curl on libera.chat
 
 If you are at all interested in the code side of things, consider clicking
-'watch' on the [curl repo on GitHub](https://github.com/curl/curl) to be
+'watch' on the [curl repository on GitHub](https://github.com/curl/curl) to be
 notified of pull requests and new issues posted there.
 
 ## License and copyright
@@ -83,11 +83,11 @@ fix one bug at a time and send them as separate patches.
 
 ### Write Separate Changes
 
-It is annoying when you get a huge patch from someone that is said to fix 511
+It is annoying when you get a huge patch from someone that is said to fix 11
-odd problems, but discussions and opinions do not agree with 510 of them - or
+odd problems, but discussions and opinions do not agree with 10 of them - or 9
-509 of them were already fixed in a different way. Then the person merging
+of them were already fixed in a different way. Then the person merging this
-this change needs to extract the single interesting patch from somewhere
+change needs to extract the single interesting patch from somewhere within the
-within the huge pile of source, and that creates a lot of extra work.
+huge pile of source, and that creates a lot of extra work.
 
 Preferably, each fix that corrects a problem should be in its own patch/commit
 with its own description/commit message stating exactly what they correct so
@@ -129,9 +129,9 @@ If you do not have test cases or perhaps you have done something that is hard
 to write tests for, do explain exactly how you have otherwise tested and
 verified your changes.
 
-## Submit Your Changes
+# Submit Your Changes
 
-### How to get your changes into the main sources
+## Get your changes merged
 
 Ideally you file a [pull request on
 GitHub](https://github.com/curl/curl/pulls), but you can also send your plain
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ fix nits/flaws. This is important. We take lack of replies as a sign that you
 are not anxious to get your patch accepted and we tend to simply drop such
 changes.
 
-### About pull requests
+## About pull requests
 
 With GitHub it is easy to send a [pull
 request](https://github.com/curl/curl/pulls) to the curl project to have
@@ -185,7 +185,23 @@ checks and qualifications this pull request must also receive more "votes" of
 user support. More signs that people want this to happen. It could be in the
 form of messages saying so, or thumbs-up reactions on GitHub.
 
-### Making quality changes
+## When the pull request is approved
+
+If it does not seem to get approved when you think it is ready - feel free to
+ask for approval.
+
+Once your pull request has been approved it can be merged by a maintainer.
+
+For new features, or changes, we require that the *feature window* is open for
+the pull request to be merged. This is typically a three week period that
+starts ten days after a previous release. New features submitted as pull
+requests while the window is closed simply have to wait until it opens to get
+merged.
+
+If time passes without your approved pull request gets merged: feel free to
+ask what more you can do to make it happen.
+
+## Making quality changes
 
 Make the patch against as recent source versions as possible.
 
@@ -193,48 +209,22 @@ If you have followed the tips in this document and your patch still has not
 been incorporated or responded to after some weeks, consider resubmitting it
 to the list or better yet: change it to a pull request.
 
-### Commit messages
+## Commit messages
 
-A short guide to how to write git commit messages in the curl project.
+How to write git commit messages in the curl project.
 
     ---- start ----
     [area]: [short line describing the main effect]
            -- empty line --
     [full description, no wider than 72 columns that describes as much as
     possible as to why this change is made, and possibly what things
-    it fixes and everything else that is related, with unwieldy URLs replaced
+    it fixes and everything else that is related,
-    with references like [0], [1], etc.]
+    -- end --
-           -- empty line --
-    [[0] URL - Reference to a URL in the description, almost like Markdown;
-        the last numbered reference is followed by an -- empty line -- ]
-    [Follow-up to {shorthash} - if this fixes or continues a previous commit;
-        add a Ref: that commit's PR or issue if it's not a small, obvious fix;
-        followed by an -- empty line -- ]
-    [Bug: URL to the source of the report or more related discussion; use Fixes
-        for GitHub issues instead when that is appropriate]
-    [Approved-by: John Doe - credit someone who approved the PR; if you are
-        committing this for someone else using --author=... you do not need this
-        as you are implicitly approving it by committing]
-    [Authored-by: John Doe - credit the original author of the code; only use
-        this if you cannot use "git commit --author=..."]
-    [Signed-off-by: John Doe - we do not use this, but do not bother removing it]
-    [whatever-else-by: credit all helpers, finders, doers; try to use one of
-        the following keywords if at all possible, for consistency:
-        Acked-by:, Assisted-by:, Co-authored-by:, Found-by:, Reported-by:,
-        Reviewed-by:, Suggested-by:, Tested-by:]
-    [Ref: #1234 - if this is related to a GitHub issue or PR, possibly one that
-                  has already been closed]
-    [Ref: URL to more information about the commit; use Bug: instead for
-        a reference to a bug on another bug tracker]
-    [Fixes #1234 - if this closes a GitHub issue; GitHub closes the issue once
-        this commit is merged]
-    [Closes #1234 - if this closes a GitHub PR; GitHub closes the PR once this
-        commit is merged]
-    ---- stop ----
 
-The first line is a succinct description of the change:
+The first line is a succinct description of the change and should ideally work
+as a single line in the RELEASE NOTES.
 
- - use the imperative, present tense: "change" not "changed" nor "changes"
+ - use the imperative, present tense: **change** not "changed" nor "changes"
  - do not capitalize the first letter
  - no period (.) at the end
 
@@ -242,72 +232,66 @@ The `[area]` in the first line can be `http2`, `cookies`, `openssl` or
 similar. There is no fixed list to select from but using the same "area" as
 other related changes could make sense.
 
-Do not forget to use commit --author=... if you commit someone else's work, and
+## Commit message keywords
-make sure that you have your own user and email setup correctly in git before
+
-you commit.
+Use the following ways to improve the message and provide pointers to related
+work.
+
+- `Follow-up to {shorthash}` - if this fixes or continues a previous commit;
+add a `Ref:` that commit's PR or issue if it is not a small, obvious fix;
+followed by an empty line
+
+- `Bug: URL` to the source of the report or more related discussion; use
+`Fixes` for GitHub issues instead when that is appropriate.
+
+- `Approved-by: John Doe` - credit someone who approved the PR.
+
+- `Authored-by: John Doe` - credit the original author of the code; only use
+this if you cannot use `git commit --author=...`.
+
+- `Signed-off-by: John Doe` - we do not use this, but do not bother removing
+  it.
+
+- `whatever-else-by:` credit all helpers, finders, doers; try to use one of
+the following keywords if at all possible, for consistency: `Acked-by:`,
+`Assisted-by:`, `Co-authored-by:`, `Found-by:`, `Reported-by:`,
+`Reviewed-by:`, `Suggested-by:`, `Tested-by:`.
+
+- `Ref: #1234` - if this is related to a GitHub issue or PR, possibly one that
+has already been closed.
+
+- `Ref: URL` to more information about the commit; use `Bug:` instead for a
+reference to a bug on another bug tracker]
+
+- `Fixes #1234` - if this fixes a GitHub issue; GitHub closes the issue once
+this commit is merged.
+
+- `Closes #1234` - if this merges a GitHub PR; GitHub closes the PR once this
+commit is merged.
+
+Do not forget to use commit with `--author` if you commit someone else's work,
+and make sure that you have your own user and email setup correctly in git
+before you commit.
 
 Add whichever header lines as appropriate, with one line per person if more
 than one person was involved. There is no need to credit yourself unless you
-are using --author=... which hides your identity. Do not include people's
+are using `--author` which hides your identity. Do not include people's email
-email addresses in headers to avoid spam, unless they are already public from
+addresses in headers to avoid spam, unless they are already public from a
-a previous commit; saying `{userid} on github` is OK.
+previous commit; saying `{userid} on github` is OK.
 
-### Write Access to git Repository
+## Push Access
 
 If you are a frequent contributor, you may be given push access to the git
 repository and then you are able to push your changes straight into the git
-repo instead of sending changes as pull requests or by mail as patches.
+repository instead of sending changes as pull requests or by mail as patches.
 
 Just ask if this is what you would want. You are required to have posted
 several high quality patches first, before you can be granted push access.
 
-### How To Make a Patch with git
+## Useful resources
-
-You need to first checkout the repository:
-
-    git clone https://github.com/curl/curl.git
-
-You then proceed and edit all the files you like and you commit them to your
-local repository:
-
-    git commit [file]
-
-As usual, group your commits so that you commit all changes at once that
-constitute a logical change.
-
-Once you have done all your commits and you are happy with what you see, you
-can make patches out of your changes that are suitable for mailing:
-
-    git format-patch remotes/origin/master
-
-This creates files in your local directory named `NNNN-[name].patch` for each
-commit.
-
-Now send those patches off to the curl-library list. You can of course opt to
-do that with the 'git send-email' command.
-
-### How To Make a Patch without git
-
-Keep a copy of the unmodified curl sources. Make your changes in a separate
-source tree. When you think you have something that you want to offer the
-curl community, use GNU diff to generate patches.
-
-If you have modified a single file, try something like:
-
-    diff -u unmodified-file.c my-changed-one.c > my-fixes.diff
-
-If you have modified several files, possibly in different directories, you
-can use diff recursively:
-
-    diff -ur curl-original-dir curl-modified-sources-dir > my-fixes.diff
-
-The GNU diff and GNU patch tools exist for virtually all platforms, including
-all kinds of Unixes and Windows.
-
-### Useful resources
  - [Webinar on getting code into cURL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmZ3W1d6LQI)
 
-## Update copyright and license information
+# Update copyright and license information
 
 There is a CI job called **REUSE compliance / check** that runs on every pull
 request and commit to verify that the *REUSE state* of all files are still
@@ -315,9 +299,9 @@ fine.
 
 This means that all files need to have their license and copyright information
 clearly stated. Ideally by having the standard curl source code header, with
-the SPDX-License-Identifier included. If the header does not work, you can use a
+the `SPDX-License-Identifier` included. If the header does not work, you can
-smaller header or add the information for a specific file to the `REUSE.toml`
+use a smaller header or add the information for a specific file to the
-file.
+`REUSE.toml` file.
 
 You can manually verify the copyright and compliance status by running the
 [REUSE helper tool](https://github.com/fsfe/reuse-tool): `reuse lint`