Update READMEs and add CONTRIBUTING.md (#1381)

* Update READMEs and add CONTRIBUTING.md

* Update go version

* Update READMEs and CONTRIBUTING.md

* Update README.md

* Update README.md

* Update README.md

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Contributing to Kaspad
+
+Any contribution to Kaspad is very welcome.
+
+## Getting started
+
+If you want to start contributing to Kaspad and don't know where to start, you can pick an issue from
+the [list](https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad/issues).
+
+If you want to make a big change it's better to discuss it first by opening an issue or talk about it in
+[Discord](https://discord.gg/WmGhhzk) to avoid duplicate work.
+
+## Pull Request process
+
+Any pull request should be opened against the development branch of the target version. The development branch format is
+as follows: `vx.y.z-dev`, for example: `v0.8.5-dev`.
+
+All pull requests should pass the checks written in `build_and_test.sh`, so it's recommended to run this script before
+submitting your PR.

README.md

@@ -9,12 +9,16 @@ Warning: This is pre-alpha software. There's no guarantee anything works.
 
 Kaspad is the reference full node Kaspa implementation written in Go (golang).
 
-This project is currently under active development and is in a pre-Alpha state. 
+This project is currently under active development and is in a pre-Alpha state.
 Some things still don't work and APIs are far from finalized. The code is provided for reference only.
 
+## What is kaspa
+
+Kaspa is an attempt at a proof-of-work cryptocurrency with instant confirmations and sub-second block times. It is based on [the PHANTOM protocol](https://eprint.iacr.org/2018/104.pdf), a generalization of Nakamoto consensus.
+
 ## Requirements
 
-Latest version of [Go](http://golang.org) (currently 1.13).
+Go 1.14 or later.
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -27,23 +31,17 @@ Latest version of [Go](http://golang.org) (currently 1.13).
 
 ```bash
 $ go version
-$ go env GOROOT GOPATH
 ```
 
-NOTE: The `GOROOT` and `GOPATH` above must not be the same path. It is
-recommended that `GOPATH` is set to a directory in your home directory such as
-`~/dev/go` to avoid write permission issues. It is also recommended to add
-`$GOPATH/bin` to your `PATH` at this point.
-
 - Run the following commands to obtain and install kaspad including all dependencies:
 
 ```bash
-$ git clone https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad $GOPATH/src/github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
-$ cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
+$ git clone https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
+$ cd kaspad
 $ go install . ./cmd/...
 ```
 
-- Kaspad (and utilities) should now be installed in `$GOPATH/bin`. If you did
+- Kaspad (and utilities) should now be installed in `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`. If you did
   not already add the bin directory to your system path during Go installation,
   you are encouraged to do so now.
 
@@ -53,10 +51,8 @@ $ go install . ./cmd/...
 Kaspad has several configuration options available to tweak how it runs, but all
 of the basic operations work with zero configuration.
 
-#### Linux/BSD/POSIX/Source
-
 ```bash
-$ ./kaspad
+$ kaspad
 ```
 
 ## Discord
@@ -74,4 +70,3 @@ The documentation is a work-in-progress. It is located in the [docs](https://git
 ## License
 
 Kaspad is licensed under the copyfree [ISC License](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/isc/).
-

cmd/kaspactl/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# kaspactl
+
+kaspactl is an RPC client for kaspad
+
+## Requirements
+
+Go 1.14 or later.
+
+## Installation
+
+#### Build from Source
+
+- Install Go according to the installation instructions here:
+  http://golang.org/doc/install
+
+- Ensure Go was installed properly and is a supported version:
+
+```bash
+$ go version
+```
+
+- Run the following commands to obtain and install kaspad including all dependencies:
+
+```bash
+$ git clone https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
+$ cd kaspad/cmd/kaspactl
+$ go install .
+```
+
+- Kaspactl should now be installed in `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`. If you did not already add the bin directory to your
+  system path during Go installation, you are encouraged to do so now.
+
+## Usage
+
+The full kaspctl configuration options can be seen with:
+
+```bash
+$ kaspctl --help
+```
+
+But the minimum configuration needed to run it is:
+
+```bash
+$ kaspactl <REQUEST_JSON>
+```
+
+For example:
+
+```
+$ kaspactl '{"getBlockDagInfoRequest":{}}'
+```
+
+For a list of all available requests check out the [RPC documentation](infrastructure/network/netadapter/server/grpcserver/protowire/rpc.md)

cmd/kaspaminer/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# kaspaminer
+
+Kaspaminer is a CPU-based miner for kaspad
+
+## Requirements
+
+Go 1.14 or later.
+
+## Installation
+
+#### Build from Source
+
+- Install Go according to the installation instructions here:
+  http://golang.org/doc/install
+
+- Ensure Go was installed properly and is a supported version:
+
+```bash
+$ go version
+```
+
+- Run the following commands to obtain and install kaspad including all dependencies:
+
+```bash
+$ git clone https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
+$ cd kaspad/cmd/kaspaminer
+$ go install .
+```
+
+- Kapaminer should now be installed in `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`. If you did
+  not already add the bin directory to your system path during Go installation,
+  you are encouraged to do so now.
+  
+## Usage
+
+The full kaspaminer configuration options can be seen with:
+
+```bash
+$ kaspaminer --help
+```
+
+But the minimum configuration needed to run it is:
+```bash
+$ kaspaminer --miningaddr=<YOUR_MINING_ADDRESS>
+```

cmd/wallet/README.md

@@ -8,6 +8,35 @@ WALLET
 `wallet` is a simple, no-frills wallet software operated via the command line.\
 It is capable of generating wallet key-pairs, printing a wallet's current balance, and sending simple transactions.
 
+## Requirements
+
+Go 1.14 or later.
+
+## Installation
+
+#### Build from Source
+
+- Install Go according to the installation instructions here:
+  http://golang.org/doc/install
+
+- Ensure Go was installed properly and is a supported version:
+
+```bash
+$ go version
+```
+
+- Run the following commands to obtain and install kaspad including all dependencies:
+
+```bash
+$ git clone https://github.com/kaspanet/kaspad
+$ cd kaspad/cmd/wallet
+$ go install .
+```
+
+- Wallet should now be installed in `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`. If you did
+  not already add the bin directory to your system path during Go installation,
+  you are encouraged to do so now.
+
 
 Usage
 -----