1. Install git on the system you will be developing on.
2. Create your own [github](https://github.com) account.
3. Fork the Friendica repository from [https://github.com/friendica/friendica.git](https://github.com/friendica/friendica.git).
4. Clone your fork from your Github account to your machine. Follow the instructions provided here: [http://help.github.com/fork-a-repo/](http://help.github.com/fork-a-repo/) to create and use your own tracking fork on github
5. Commit your changes to your fork. Then go to your github page and create a "Pull request" to notify us to merge your work.
**Branches**
There are two branches in the main repo on Github:
1. master: This branch contains stable releases only.
2. develop: This branch contains the latest code. This is what you want to work with.
**Important**
Please pull in any changes from the project repository and merge them with your work **before** issuing a pull request. We reserve the right to reject any patch which results in a large number of merge conflicts. This is especially true in the case of language translations - where we may not be able to understand the subtle differences between conflicting versions.
Also - **test your changes**. Don't assume that a simple fix won't break something else. If possible get an experienced Friendica developer to review the code.
