gEDA-dev: GSoC 2008

[Newell Jensen]

Thanks Pete and Al for your responses.

On Feb 7, 2008 7:07 PM, al davis <ad151 at freeelectron.net> wrote:

> On Thursday 07 February 2008, Newell Jensen wrote:
> > So would you be the main "overseer" for the Project Manager
> > or only if it dealt in some way with xgsch2pcb?
>
> As Peter said, that is between you and all of us.
>
> > Who would be
> > the main design architect for this
>
> You!!!


Well said.  I like it when people get to the point.

>
>
> To do it right, it is a very difficult project.  Several others
> have tried and failed.  What is needed is a framework that can
> be expanded as the system grows.  If you design it around the
> tools we have now, it will fail.  We need it designed around
> the "vapor" tools we don't have yet, and what is in the works
> and not released yet.
>

I already thought of this and I totally agree.

>
> It's not just schematic and board layout!  We have simulation,
> both analog and digital.  On the fringes, there are people
> working on synthesis, electromagnetic simulation of boards,
> static timing analysis.  Another step away there are a bunch of
> tools that are not really gEDA but are available now as
> free/open-source.
>
> A good project manager will accomodate all this.  I think it
> means you need to start from scratch.
>

Yes, you are probably right.

>
> > and has anyone come up
> > with a design for how they want the work flow to be
> > abstracted?
>
> No.
>
> > If not, was the student supposed to come up with
> > this?
>
> Yes.  We will help you, or at least try.


That is good, I will definitely need it.

>
>
> There has been some debate about it, but no decisions.  The
> decisions are made by the person doing the work.  The rest of
> us can express an opinion, but the real decision is yours.
>
> > I am willing to start looking at the source of the
> > different projects and seeing how to interface them but if
> > someone has already done a lot of the brain work on this
> > already and /or there is a set preference among the gEDA user
> > base to have it a certain way, that would be useful
> > information.
>
> I think most people here agree that it must remain extremely
> flexible.  Give users a choice of how to work, and what tools
> to use or not use.  It should be able to really support the
> tools, not just a subset of the features.  Then think of what
> it would take to make it suitable for undergraduates.
>
> The best architecture would be one that allows others to make
> extensions.  It is probably easiest if you use an interpreted
> language.  Speed is not a factor, so there is no need for a
> compiled language.  Writing in an interpreted language makes it
> easier to extend, and to distribute experimental modules.
>
> The only real requirement that might restrict your choice of
> language is licensing and portability.  The whole set of tools,
> including compilers, etc. must be truly free, and easily
> available on multiple platforms.


I will use Python and PyGTK.  Its supported on all the major platforms that
I know of and is perfect for all of this.

>
>
> > The first main step is to figure out a design
> > that would be worth while with most of the kinks thought out.
> >  Since this was already a proposed project for GSoC 2007 has
> > this part been worked on by anyone?  Thanks.
>
> No, but even if it has, you have no obligation to use it.
>
> If you can come up with a design that can be extended to do all
> this, that will be more than anyone else has been able to do
> with this.  That will be plenty for a summer.  The extensions
> can come later.


I am going to do some brainstorming about some possible plans of attack and
will get back to the list and bounce my ideas off of you guys.

>
>
>
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