Re: gEDA-user: [RFC 1/6] Non-Turing-complete configuration files.

[Peter Clifton <pcjc2@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Sun, 2009-01-18 at 00:10 +0000, r wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 5:08 PM, Peter Clifton <pcjc2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Fair enough. I'm not particularly attached to the current
> configuration mechanism (although setting callbacks without this could
> be difficult). I just don't think it is broken or particularly needs
> an improvement. Actually, this is currently one of the gEDA's
> strongest points.

It is one of its good points, but try watching the look on a student's
face when you explain that to pick up the symbol they just drew /
modified, they have to open a text editor and enter some magic string:

(component-library "." "Local parts")

Then save as "gafrc", which I regurgitate far too often when introducing
new users to gEDA.

Once we can be sure that there is nothing executable in such a file, it
becomes easier to safely write a UI to modify this kind of thing.

I'll grant that some gEDA users here won't use it - but then they don't
have to.

I'm sure it would be possible to write something which makes a good
attempt at config write-back for such simple cases, even with executable
config files, but a little extra certainty is nice to have.

Just a note.. in case it wasn't clear. We aren't proposing the config
files will look any different in contents.. just that they will be
parsed, rather than executed.


-- 
Peter Clifton

Electrical Engineering Division,
Engineering Department,
University of Cambridge,
9, JJ Thomson Avenue,
Cambridge
CB3 0FA

Tel: +44 (0)7729 980173 - (No signal in the lab!)



_______________________________________________
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user