Re: gEDA-user: Which are the biggest looking gEDA warts?

[Peter Clifton <pcjc2@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Ben - it helps to get a good list like this - I think you've
covered any complaints I had, and then some.

I'll comment on a few:

> Integration:
> 	No visibility of footprints from gschem (where they are assigned).

Seconded. I wanted to add auto-complete / verification / footprint
manager to gschem, but bandwidth has not yet allowed.

Over the vacation, Peter Brett and I designed a new concept for the
entire attribute editor.

Initially, you would select what you were doing, gschem -> PCB, or
gschem -> gnucap, for example. 

The attibute editor (perhaps to be a dock-able panel) would present the
mandatory options, and validate them for you. (You could of course still
add other attributes). The editor would remain "live" as you moved
between components, either as a side-panel, or an "on top" window,
updating as you click different components.

> 	No means of mapping symbol pins to package pins other than 1:1 --
> 	come on, everything is available in 3 or 4 packages these days!
> 	Even the lowly 7805 regulator can be had in at least TO92, TO220
> 	and SO8, and the pins don't even match between TO92 and TO220.
> 	And diodes in SOT-23 are a disaster.

Much requested, and much debated. This comes under the heading of "parts
manager", but requires code-changes to facilitate. A database
maintaining part ---> symbol,
                 |\-> footprint,
                 \--> order-code.. etc.
would be a fantastic tool to go with this. Unfortunately, maintaining
such a database is a never-ending, time-consuming task, and that is why
gEDA officially tends to favour "light" symbols and footprints.

Something needs doing - I know. Perhaps providing some infrastructure
allowing easy, "one-click" submission of footprints, symbols, parts, and
having some naming conventions, quality control etc.. will allow the
"keen" community to help build a better library.

> gschem
> 	Component window doesn't remember size.

This bugs me too.., but I'm not sure if this is a gschem issue or not.
Placing / sizing windows is generally the domain of the window manager.
We could code around it, given we know better what the user wants, but
I'd not like to fly in the face of any "standards".

> 	Adding large numbers of attirbutes (like assigning packages
> 	or resistor values) is clumsy becuase the add-attribute window
> 	does not remember any of your selections from use to use.  Only
> 	nets have any kind of smart behavior.

As Stuart mentioned, use gattrib. I'd like to see gschem / gattrib work
on the _same_ open schematic together at some point, but for now, don't
use both at once!

> 	The PNG output is not smooth, and rendering large and scaling
> 	externally doesn't work because the lines are too thin.

For historical reasons, gschem has two means to export PNG. One is via
libgd, and one is via GTK. Depends on what was found / requested when
you build, so if you installed from a package, it depends on what the
packager decided.

The libgd support is pretty poor, doesn't render pictures, or the fill
in filled objects. The GTK output renders nicely, and might be more what
you want. _Very_ recently, CVS has a new revamped image export dialog
which lets you specify the resolution, and (if using the GTK output),
what file-format to save in.

I personally think we ought to drop libgd, as it isn't as good.

If you (as a technical user) want decent schematic export, try printing
to a ".ps" file. From there you ought to be able to convert to most
formats.


Thanks for all the comments,

Peter C.




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