anchor.diff:  We recommend the http://eclipse.org/m2e/[m2eclipe] eclipse plugin when working with
   eclipse. If you don't already have m2eclipse installed it is available from the "eclipse
   marketplace".
  +
  +Once the projects are imported into Eclipse you will also need to tell m2eclipse
  +to use the `.settings.xml` file for the projects.  If you do not do this you may
  +see errors many different errors related to the POMs in the projects.
  +Open your Eclipse preferences, expand the Maven preferences, and select User Settings.
  +In the User Settings field click Browse and navigate to the Spring Cloud project you
  +imported selecting the `.settings.xml` file in that project.  Click Apply and then OK to
  +save the preference changes.
   
   ==== Importing into eclipse without m2eclipse
   If you prefer not to use m2eclipse you can generate eclipse project metadata using the
  
positive.code: any changes in the README it will then show up after a Maven build as
  a modified file in the correct place. Just commit it and push the change.
  
  === Pull Requests
  
  Spring Cloud is released under the non-restrictive Apache 2.0 license,
  and follows a very standard Github development process, using Github
  tracker for issues and merging pull requests into master. If you want
  to contribute even something trivial please do not hesitate, but
  follow the guidelines below.
  
  ==== Sign the Contributor License Agreement
  Before we accept a non-trivial patch or pull request we will need you
  to sign the
  https://support.springsource.com/spring_committer_signup[contributor's
  agreement].  Signing the contributor's agreement does not grant anyone
  commit rights to the main repository, but it does mean that we can
  accept your contributions, and you will get an author credit if we do.
  Active contributors might be asked to join the core team, and given
  the ability to merge pull requests.
  
  ==== Code Conventions and Housekeeping
  None of these is essential for a pull request, but they will all help.  They can also be
  added after the original pull request but before a merge.
  
  * Use the Spring Framework code format conventions. If you use Eclipse and you follow
    the ``Importing into eclipse'' instructions below you should get project specific
    formatting automatically. You can also import formatter settings using the
    `eclipse-code-formatter.xml` file from the `eclipse` folder. If using IntelliJ, you can
    use the http://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/6546[Eclipse Code Formatter Plugin]
    to import the same file.
  * Make sure all new `.java` files to have a simple Javadoc class comment with at least an
    `@author` tag identifying you, and preferably at least a paragraph on what the class is
    for.
  * Add the ASF license header comment to all new `.java` files (copy from existing files
    in the project)
  * Add yourself as an `@author` to the .java files that you modify substantially (more
    than cosmetic changes).
  * Add some Javadocs and, if you change the namespace, some XSD doc elements.
  * A few unit tests would help a lot as well -- someone has to do it.
  * If no-one else is using your branch, please rebase it against the current master (or
    other target branch in the main project).
  
  === Working with the code
  If you don't have an IDE preference we would recommend that you use
  http://www.springsource.com/developer/sts[Spring Tools Suite] or
  
negative.code: 
  image::https://travis-ci.org/spring-cloud-incubator/spring-cloud-sleuth.svg?branch=master[Build Status, link=https://travis-ci.org/spring-cloud-incubator/spring-cloud-sleuth]
  
  === Terminology
  
  Spring Cloud Sleuth borrows http://research.google.com/pubs/pub36356.html[Dapper's] terminology.
  
  *Span:* The basic unit of work. For example, sending an RPC is a new span, as is sending a response to an RPC. Span's are identified by a unique 64-bit ID for the span and another 64-bit ID for the trace the span is a part of.  Spans also have other data, such as descriptions, key-value annotations, the ID of the span that caused them, and process ID's (normally IP address).
  
  Spans are started and stopped, and they keep track of their timing information.  Once you create a span, you must stop it at some point in the future.
  
  *Trace:* A set of spans forming a tree-like structure.  For example, if you are running a distributed big-data store, a trace might be formed by a put request.
  
  
  
  == This is a Developer Preview
  