Update Setup Guide: Add Troubleshooting for Modern Node.js & Local Env Configuration

[nothariharan]

Description

I recently set up the project locally to start contributing, but I encountered several setup barriers that are not currently covered in the README.md. These issues are likely to affect many new contributors using modern environments (Node v17+).

Issues Encountered

Node Version Incompatibility

Running npm run serve on newer Node versions (v17, v18, v20+) fails with ERR_OSSL_EVP_UNSUPPORTED due to OpenSSL changes.

Dependency Conflicts

npm install fails due to strict peer dependency resolution in newer npm versions, requiring the --legacy-peer-deps flag.

Missing Environment Variables

The application crashes or loads a blank screen if the .env file is missing. The current documentation mentions the variables but doesn't provide a quick start dummy configuration for local development, which makes the initial setup confusing.

Proposed Solution

I would like to submit a Pull Request to update the README.md with a dedicated Troubleshooting & Modern Setup section. This will include:

Node.js Compatibility

Instructions for using the openssl-legacy-provider flag for contributors who cannot switch to Node 14.

Installation Flags

Updating the install command to:

npm install --legacy-peer-deps

to prevent immediate failures.

Local Config Template

Providing a ready-to-use Dummy .env snippet so new users can get the UI running immediately without needing to set up a real Firebase project first.

Notes

I have tested these solutions locally, and they allowed me to get the project running successfully.
I am happy to open a PR for this if you agree!