Re: gEDA-user: Methods to improve gEDA tools

[Joerg <joergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stuart Brorson wrote:

[...]

> Also, look at it this way: a $200 donation is only three or four
> months of cable TV; how much real value do you get out of all those
> channels of junk?  Isn't gEDA/PCB much more valuable, both in terms of
> the amount of time you spend with it, and also (if you use it
> professionally) because it is a tool you use to make your living?  If
> you agree, please donate!
> 

I get your drift :-)

We do not have cable TV. Currently our donations go to places where the 
need is a whole lot more dire than in the software community, places 
like the church aid fund for the poor, food bank and such.


> Now I'll add a new wrinkle to my comment:  During this ongoing thread,
> somebody said:
> 
>>> Of course gEDA for Windows would mean more users. But would those
>>> additional user contribute something to the project?
> 
> and Joerg responded:
>> Oh yes. Without feedback from lots of folks who do engineering and CAD
>> for decades you cannot create a good CAD tool.
> 
> I think this point has been made several times before, but I'll turn
> it into a challenge.  Sure, offering occasional comments like "gEDA
> needs better slotting before I can use it" is a kind of contribution.
> However, it's at best of marginal use, since the gEDA developers are
> also professional engineers and are already aware of the tool's
> shortcomings.
> 
> A better contribution to the gEDA Project would be to help provide
> incentive for development work to happen.  So I'll make Joerg a
> challenge:
> 
>    Joerg, if you donate to the Linux Fund's gEDA/PCB project,
>    I'll *match* your donation up to $200.  For example, that means
>    that if you donate $100, I'll send in another check for $100 to
>    match yours, up to a limit of $200 from you.
> 
> My goal is to remind folks that there are many ways to get their
> feature requests implemented, including:
> 
> *  Implement the feature request yourself, and send in a patch.  This
>     is the best and most reliable way to ensure your desired feature
>     makes it into the project.
> *  Pay a developer -- either one of the gEDA developers, or one you
>     find yourself -- to implement your desired feature.  This method is
>     also effective.  The Linux Fund project is one instantiation of
>     this method.
> *  Beg, whine, and cajole the developers to implement your feature for
>     free.  This method is not guaranteed at all.
> 

Again: I do not need gEDA, I have a (commercial) CAD that works almost 
perfectly for me and where the manufacturer has hinted they'd fix the 
last serious shortcoming, after which they'll be rewarded with a check 
for an upgrade by me and lots of other. If they really do that I'll 
probably use that CAD until someone shows up with a pine box.

But I do like the fact that there are several open source effort. All I 
want to do is give feedback into the community. If that's not desired 
I'll just stop.

Also, I do not use PCB Designer or any other layout program because all 
my layouts are farmed out. What I did do is answer the occasional 
hobby/non-profit request like "Hey, this is too noisy, can you take a 
look?". For free ...

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/



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