Contributors wanted for unusual project.
Tags: opensource, contributorswanted, frontend, discuss
Published: 2019-06-26 11:48:22

I am looking for contributors for my project [AsmBB](https://board.asm32.info).

## What is this project about?

**AsmBB** is a forum engine, written in assembly language. It uses FastCGI as a server protocol and SQLite as a database engine.

In addition, the FastCGI framework of the project can be used for other web projects in assembly language.

The main goals of the project are:

1. **Performance** - the back-end is ultimately fast and lightweight. It can handle huge amount of visitors simultaneously without slow down or faults, even on very small and cheap VPS or shared hosting accounts.

2. **Virtually no external dependencies** - the engine needs only a working web server and Linux OS. It does not need any other libraries installed or special server configuration.

3. **Internationalization** - the engine has UI translated to different languages and every user can set whatever of the language he prefer.

4. **Easy for customization** - the engine supports multiple skins simultaneously and the users can change their skin, according to their preferences. In addition, automatic switching to a mobile skins is available.

     The skins are entirely based on a text templates and css/less files and can be easily edited and created without messing with the back-end code.

5. **Security** - On contrary of the commonly accepted opinion, the engine is extremely secure. The low number of abstraction layers and the missing dependencies greatly decrease the possible attack vectors. 


## What is wrong?

**The front-end and the design!**

Regardless of that the engine supports multiple skins and I have created several of them, my front-end and designers skills are very low and most of the visitors complain that the front-end is not what it needs to be in 2019.

## Contributors out there?

So, I am looking for contributors that to turn the front-end of the forum in what is supposed to be in 2019 year. 

Both, creating new skins and fixing the existing is possible and desirable.

But in the same time, it is good to make it in a most lightweight way, because, well, a website that pretend to be the fastest forum in the world, should stay fastest at the browser side as well.

It is good also to keep the forum working without JS, at least for the parts where it is possible. (for example, the real-time chat is impossible to be implemented without JS).

Of course, if someone wants to contribute to the back-end, he is welcome as well. There are many features that need to be implemented there.

BTW, this is a wonderful way to perfect your assembly language skills outside of the school problems: "two numbers are given in registers ax and bx, compute the sum in cx".

And also, your SQLite query optimization skills.

## What technologies?

On the back-end the project uses **[FASM](https://flatassembler.net)** assembly language. Also some **C code** is used in unmodified form: SQLite and MUSL C libraries.

On the front-end there is a **template engine**, **CSS** and **vanilla JS**.

The version control used is **[Fossil scm](https://fossil-scm.org/)** which is the best DVCS for small projects.

So, the contributors will have the chance to work with a technology stack that is not widespread. 

This can be an **interesting trip** off the beaten paths for a curious developer wanting to experiment with the technologies and searching for the best possible solutions.