H5MD - proposal 1: H5MD proposals

status: draft

Introduction

H5MD proposals represent a way to discuss modifications of improvements to H5MD. They are directly inspired by the Python Enhancement Proposals.

The development of H5MD relies on discussions on the mailing list. This presents a few shortcomings, notably the absence of a comprehensive source of information on any given topic. Starting from release 1.0.0 of the specification, significant changes to H5MD will be based on H5MD proposals.

Guidelines

Formatting and numbering:

  • H5MD proposals consist of markdown formatted files.
  • The status (draft, implemented, rejected) must be indicated.
  • Regular H5MD proposals are numbered sequentially, starting at 100. H5MD proposals below 100 concern the development process of H5MD.

Content:

  • Each H5MD proposal must propose an explicit change to the H5MD specification, along with background information.
  • H5MD proposals that change the content of an H5MD file must consider the technical specificities of HDF5.

Process:

  • A proposal may be submitted via the mailing list of H5MD. Discussion of a proposal on this mailing list is encouraged prior to its full elaboration.
  • After discussion, the proposal may be submitted either as a patch to the mailing list or as a pull request on github.