Remove effectivly empty CONTRIBUTING files

[HannesWell]

Let's make sure issue is not already fixed in latest builds first.

• I verified latest Integration Build of Eclipse SDK doesn't provide the feature.

Suggestion

Currently many repositories for Eclipse-Platform, Equinox, JDT and PDE have have CONTRIBUTING or a CONTRIBUTING.md file or both that most of the time just contains a link to the contribution information maintained in the corresponding organization's .github repository.

For example in the eclipse.platform repository

• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform/blob/7fa51b7a44ee2074b93eaeed1c8bea13be59e541/CONTRIBUTING
• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform/blob/7fa51b7a44ee2074b93eaeed1c8bea13be59e541/CONTRIBUTING.md

That link is then also often repeated in a Contributing section in the README.md of the repository.
See for example

• https://github.com/eclipse-platform/eclipse.platform?tab=readme-ov-file#how-to-contribute

With that the content of the CONTRIBUTING seems to be duplicated and actually not necessary.
Therefore I propose to delete the CONTRIBUTING if the scenario is as described above.

If I read the Eclipse Foundation Project Handbook correct, having a CONTRIBUTING is not mandatory per project and contributing information can also be contained in the README:

• https://www.eclipse.org/projects/handbook/#legaldoc-contributor

@waynebeaton is that correct or are we not allowed to perform the proposed task?

The contribution information generated by GitHub for a repository inherits the CONTRIBUTING file/information from the organization if no such file exists in the repository. For the jdt.debug repository this proposal was already applied and it worked as expected there:

• Add main README for jdt.debug and clean-up CONTRIBUTING file eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug#532 (comment)

See https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/contribute

On the other hand https://github.com/eclipse-jdt/eclipse.jdt.debug/contribute currently needs one more click to reach the final destination.

Community

• I understand suggesting an enhancement doesn't mandate anyone to implement it. Other contributors may consider this suggestion, or not, at their own convenience. The most efficient way to get it fixed is that I implement it myself and contribute it back as a good quality patch to the project.

[HannesWell]

@waynebeaton would this change be fine from a legal l respectively project rules point of view?