gEDA-dev: gnetman inspired libgeda datastructures

[Svenn Are Bjerkem]

On 3/21/07, Stuart Brorson <sdb at cloud9.net> wrote:
> *  VHDL:  I tend to favor keeping gschem's file format like it is,
> rather than embarking on a radical overhaul like changing to a
> VHDL-like format.  I'd prefer to see gschem's file format tweaked to
> support hierarchy (achievable by, for example, using {} when
> appropriate I think).  The important thing here is that we retain the
> ability to read legacy schematics.

But do we need to write them back? Give the user a warning: "If you do
changes to this schematic, it can only be saved in the new format"?

>
> HOwever, it does make me think:  Moving
> forward, it would be nice to support designs where a schematic
> page might contain nothing more than
> [pcb_netname:pinnumber:verilog_netname] 3-tuples
> to represent a portion of an FPGA.  I think lots of people are moving
> in this direction, since it is silly to draw large boxes with lots of
> pins just to represent logic.  Does such a concept fit into this
> scheme?

Every time I present concepts in powerpoint, I wish there was a
schematic capture program that would be able to do abstraction: Just
draw a box, give it a name, all input signals represented by one line
on the left side, all output signals represented by a line on the
right side. Connect that to the next module, which is represented by
the same level of abstraction and so on. And then in the end export to
the EMF format which powerpoint accepts. As the concept evolves I
could continue adding boxes and lines to that page, and in the end it
would be a nice top-level of my upcoming design. Throughout this
procedure, I would be able to give properties to those boxes, like a
real entity name, a real interface, the block diagram interconnects
would be filled with real signal names, if I deside to dive into one
of the block diagram symbols, I would find either another level of
abstraction for powerpoint use, or I would find real components or
real code or whatever is needed to create a netlist. But the thing
about it all is that those abstract (or block-level) views is a part
of the design. By the push of a button all those views would be
exported to EMF and the powerpoint presentation would be up to date.

I find myself looking at powerpoint presentations that are hopelessly
out of sync with the design. Showing real schematics in a business
presentation is often not an option, but you need to show something.
Keeping this sync is a lot of double work: You want to keep your
money-giver happy, but you don't want to feed him with a spoon.

That would be moving forward in my opinion.

-- 
Svenn