gEDA-dev: footprint cleanup

[Timmerman, Bert]

Hi Igor2 and Dan,

I agree, if it's not clear or suitable, the average user/newbie would
start with the creation of a newlib footprint.

I once looked at an m4 file and decided it was not for me.

A footprint generator that can be invoked with pcb would also be handy
(some kind of gui hid module/wrapper around m4).

So the choice would be:

- Select an existing [newlib, oldlib] footprint sorted in lists by
component or package type with Least, Nominal or Most material
conditions (and not by creation method).

or

- Create a footprint in the newlib style and add it to the layout file.

Wether the internals are using m4 is to no interest for the average user
(power users are left on their own milage, they should be wise enough
;-).

Just my EUR 0.01

Kind regards,

Bert Timmerman.

BTW, on a higher level (pcb file): another problem in footprint
cleanup/creation and audition/correction lies in the fact that once
embedded footprints (as in older designs) are never updated when a bug
is corrected in a footprint.

This is in contrast with gschem, where one has to embed a symbol on
purpose (explicit), and a modified (not embedded) symbol will be loaded
with the schematic.

Wether this is a bug or a feature of pcb is not for me to decide.


-----Original Message-----
From: geda-dev-bounces at moria.seul.org
[mailto:geda-dev-bounces at moria.seul.org] On Behalf Of Igor2
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 11:44 AM
To: gEDA developer mailing list
Subject: Re: gEDA-dev: footprint cleanup

On Tue, 29 Aug 2006, Peter TB Brett wrote:

<snip>

>I agree that the way the PCB footprint libraries work at the moment are
really 
>pretty impenetrable and user-unfriendly.  But *please* don't throw the
baby 
>out with the bathwater!
>
>Peter

I agree. I think a beginner won't care whether it's m4 or not, the
difference in the selector window is not that clear. And if he doesn't
know, why would he care? 

I also like the idea that we don't have 10000 megabytes of footprint
files
which differ only in 2 bits from one another. Maybe because I don't have
160 GB disks :)

Maybe the best would be to have a HID or other _simple_ C api to
separate
the footprint loading and have the newlib and the m4 code in different
directories, like the HIDs in hid/. This also would allow one to expand
the footprint side easier (databases and whatevers).

Regards,

Igor2



_______________________________________________
geda-dev mailing list
geda-dev at moria.seul.org
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-dev