rzonedevops · danregima · Sep 19, 2025 · Sep 19, 2025 · Sep 19, 2025
diff --git a/docs/QUICK_START.md b/docs/QUICK_START.md
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+# GGNuCash Development Quick Start Guide
+
+## Overview
+
+This guide provides developers with everything needed to start contributing to the GGNuCash financial hardware platform development. Follow these steps to set up your development environment and begin working on the roadmap features.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+### Required Knowledge
+- **C++17+**: Core platform development
+- **Python 3.9+**: Scripting and data analysis tools
+- **CMake 3.14+**: Build system
+- **Git**: Version control and collaboration
+- **Docker**: Containerized development
+- **Financial Markets**: Basic understanding of trading and risk management
+
+### Hardware Requirements
+- **CPU**: Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 (minimum)
+- **Memory**: 32GB RAM (64GB+ recommended)
+- **GPU**: NVIDIA GTX 1080+ or AMD RX 580+ (for acceleration features)
+- **Storage**: 1TB+ NVMe SSD
+- **Network**: High-speed internet for market data testing
+
+## Development Environment Setup
+
+### 1. Repository Setup
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/rzonedevops/ggnumlcash.cpp.git
+cd ggnumlcash.cpp
+
+# Initialize submodules
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+
+# Set up Python virtual environment
+python3 -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+```
+
+### 2. Build System Configuration
+
+```bash
+# Configure build with all features
+cmake -B build \
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+    -DGGML_CUDA=ON \
+    -DGGML_METAL=ON \
+    -DGGML_FINANCIAL=ON \
+    -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON
+
+# Build the project
+cmake --build build --config Release -j $(nproc)
+
+# Run basic tests
+ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure
+```
+
+### 3. IDE Setup
+
+#### Visual Studio Code Configuration
+```json
+// .vscode/settings.json
+{
+    "C_Cpp.default.configurationProvider": "ms-vscode.cmake-tools",
+    "C_Cpp.default.compileCommands": "${workspaceFolder}/build/compile_commands.json",
+    "cmake.configureOnOpen": true,
+    "cmake.buildDirectory": "${workspaceFolder}/build",
+    "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "${workspaceFolder}/.venv/bin/python",
+    "files.associations": {
+        "*.cu": "cuda-cpp",
+        "*.cuh": "cuda-cpp"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+#### CLion Configuration
+- Import as CMake project
+- Set CMake profile to Release
+- Enable CUDA language support
+- Configure Python interpreter to use .venv
+
+### 4. Development Tools
+
+```bash
+# Install development tools
+# Code formatting
+pip install clang-format
+
+# Pre-commit hooks
+pip install pre-commit
+pre-commit install
+
+# Documentation generation
+pip install sphinx breathe
+
+# Performance profiling
+# Intel VTune (if available)
+# NVIDIA Nsight Systems (for GPU profiling)
+```
+
+## Understanding the Codebase
+
+### Repository Structure
+```
+ggnumlcash.cpp/
+├── src/                    # Core library implementation
+├── include/               # Public API headers
+├── examples/              # Example applications
+│   └── financial-sim/     # Financial simulator (start here)
+├── ggml/                 # GGML tensor library
+├── docs/                 # Documentation
+│   ├── development-roadmap.md
+│   ├── issues/           # Feature issue templates
+│   └── project-tracking.md
+├── tests/                # Test suite
+├── tools/                # Development tools
+└── scripts/             # Build and utility scripts
+```
+
+### Key Components
+
+#### 1. Financial Simulator (examples/financial-sim/)
+Start your exploration here - this demonstrates the core concepts:
+```bash
+# Build and run the financial simulator
+cd build/bin
+./llama-financial-sim --demo
+
+# Interactive mode
+./llama-financial-sim --interactive
+```
+
+#### 2. Core Library (src/ and include/)
+- `llama.cpp` - Main library implementation
+- `llama.h` - Public API interface
+- Financial extensions will be added here
+
+#### 3. GGML Integration (ggml/)
+- Tensor operations for financial calculations
+- Hardware acceleration backends
+- Memory management
+
+## Working with the Roadmap
+
+### 1. Choose Your Focus Area
+
+Based on your expertise, pick a development track:
+
+**Backend Development** → Start with Issue #001 (Financial Processing Core)
+```bash
+# Study the current financial simulator
+cd examples/financial-sim
+cat README.md
+cat financial-sim.cpp
+```
+
+**Hardware Acceleration** → Start with Issue #002 (Hardware Acceleration)
+```bash
+# Explore GGML backends
+cd ggml/src
+ls ggml-*.c*
+# Focus on ggml-cuda/, ggml-metal/, etc.
+```
+
+**Financial Engineering** → Start with Issue #004 (Quantitative Models)
+```bash
+# Review financial concepts in the simulator
+cd examples/financial-sim
+./test-financial-logic
+```
+
+**Trading Systems** → Start with Issue #007 (HFT Engine)
+```bash
+# Study market data structures and order management
+cd examples/financial-sim
+grep -r "Transaction\|Order" .
+```
+
+### 2. Set Up Feature Branch
+
+```bash
+# Create feature branch for your issue
+git checkout -b feature/issue-001-financial-core
+git push -u origin feature/issue-001-financial-core
+```
+
+### 3. Follow Development Workflow
+
+#### Daily Workflow
+1. **Morning**: Review issue progress and blockers
+2. **Development**: Focus on specific tasks with frequent commits
+3. **Testing**: Run tests after each significant change
+4. **Evening**: Update progress and prepare for next day
+
+#### Weekly Workflow
+1. **Monday**: Sprint planning and task assignment
+2. **Wednesday**: Code review and architecture discussion
+3. **Friday**: Sprint review and demo progress
+
+### 4. Development Best Practices
+
+#### Code Quality
+```bash
+# Format code before committing
+git clang-format
+
+# Run full test suite
+cmake --build build --target test
+
+# Check for memory leaks
+valgrind --tool=memcheck ./build/bin/test-financial-logic
+```
+
+#### Performance Testing
+```bash
+# Build optimized version
+cmake -B build-perf -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DGGML_NATIVE=ON
+cmake --build build-perf
+
+# Run performance benchmarks
+./build-perf/bin/llama-bench
+```
+
+#### Documentation
+```bash
+# Generate API documentation
+cd docs
+make html
+```
+
+## Development Patterns
+
+### 1. Financial Data Structures
+
+Use cache-friendly, aligned structures:
+```cpp
+// Good: Cache-line aligned structure
+struct alignas(64) FinancialData {
+    double price;
+    uint64_t timestamp;
+    uint32_t volume;
+    // ... pad to 64 bytes
+};
+
+// Bad: Unaligned, inefficient
+struct FinancialData {
+    double price;
+    std::string symbol;  // Variable size, heap allocation
+    std::vector<double> history;  // Pointer indirection
+};
+```
+
+### 2. Hardware Acceleration
+
+Leverage GGML patterns:
+```cpp
+// Use GGML tensor operations for financial calculations
+struct ggml_tensor* prices = ggml_new_tensor_1d(ctx, GGML_TYPE_F32, n_options);
+struct ggml_tensor* strikes = ggml_new_tensor_1d(ctx, GGML_TYPE_F32, n_options);
+struct ggml_tensor* results = ggml_black_scholes(ctx, prices, strikes, /* ... */);
+```
+
+### 3. Error Handling
+
+Use RAII and proper error handling:
+```cpp
+class FinancialEngine {
+public:
+    Result<Transaction> processTransaction(const TransactionRequest& request) {
+        if (!validateRequest(request)) {
+            return Error{"Invalid transaction request"};
+        }
+
+        auto transaction = Transaction::create(request);
+        if (!transaction) {
+            return Error{"Failed to create transaction"};
+        }
+
+        return transaction.value();
+    }
+};
+```
+
+### 4. Testing Patterns
+
+Write comprehensive tests:
+```cpp
+TEST(FinancialEngineTest, ProcessValidTransaction) {
+    FinancialEngine engine;
+    auto request = createValidTransactionRequest();
+
+    auto result = engine.processTransaction(request);
+
+    ASSERT_TRUE(result.has_value());
+    EXPECT_EQ(result->getStatus(), TransactionStatus::COMPLETED);
+    EXPECT_GT(result->getTimestamp(), 0);
+}
+```
+
+## Getting Help
+
+### 1. Documentation Resources
+- [Architecture Overview](docs/ggnucash-architecture.md)
+- [Hardware Implementation Guide](docs/financial-hardware-implementation.md)
+- [Security Framework](docs/security-compliance.md)
+- [Feature Issues](docs/issues/README.md)
+
+### 2. Code Examples
+Start with these examples to understand the patterns:
+```bash
+# Financial concepts demonstration
+./build/bin/llama-financial-sim --demo
+
+# GGML usage patterns
+cd examples/simple
+cat simple.cpp
+
+# Hardware acceleration examples
+cd examples/batched
+cat batched.cpp
+```
+
+### 3. Community Resources
+- **GitHub Issues**: Technical questions and bug reports
+- **GitHub Discussions**: Architecture and design discussions
+- **Code Reviews**: Learn from reviewing other contributions
+- **Documentation**: Contribute to docs for better understanding
+
+### 4. Common Development Tasks
+
+#### Adding a New Financial Function
+1. Define the mathematical operation
+2. Implement CPU version in `src/financial/`
+3. Add GGML kernel for GPU acceleration
+4. Write comprehensive tests
+5. Update documentation
+
+#### Optimizing Performance
+1. Profile the code to identify bottlenecks
+2. Optimize data structures for cache efficiency
+3. Leverage SIMD instructions where possible
+4. Use hardware acceleration for parallel operations
+5. Measure and validate improvements
+
+#### Adding Hardware Backend Support
+1. Study existing backends in `ggml/src/`
+2. Implement backend interface
+3. Add hardware-specific optimizations
+4. Create comprehensive test suite
+5. Document deployment requirements
+
+## Next Steps
+
+### 1. Pick Your First Issue
+Review the [Feature Issues](docs/issues/README.md) and choose one that matches your expertise:
+
+- **New to Financial Software**: Start with Issue #001 (Financial Processing Core)
+- **GPU/Hardware Expert**: Jump to Issue #002 (Hardware Acceleration)
+- **Trading Systems Background**: Begin with Issue #007 (HFT Engine)
+- **Security Specialist**: Focus on Issue #012 (Security Hardening)
+
+### 2. Set Up Development Environment
+Follow the setup instructions above and get the basic examples running.
+
+### 3. Join the Development Community
+- Create your GitHub account and fork the repository
+- Introduce yourself in GitHub Discussions
+- Review the current pull requests to understand the code review process
+- Start with small contributions (documentation, tests, bug fixes)
+
+### 4. Plan Your Contribution
+- Read the full feature issue for your chosen area
+- Break down the work into manageable tasks
+- Set up your development branch
+- Begin with the first subtask
+
+## Success Tips
+
+1. **Start Small**: Begin with understanding existing code before writing new features
+2. **Test Frequently**: Write tests early and run them often
+3. **Ask Questions**: Use GitHub Discussions for architecture questions
+4. **Document**: Write clear commit messages and update documentation
+5. **Performance First**: Always consider performance implications in financial software
+6. **Security Mindset**: Financial software requires careful attention to security
+7. **Collaborate**: Engage with other developers through code reviews
+
+Remember: Financial software development requires precision, performance, and security. Take time to understand the domain and requirements before diving into implementation.
+
+Good luck with your GGNuCash development journey!