Re: gEDA-user: libraries for PCB

[Dan McMahill <dan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Karel Kulhavy wrote:
> I am currently coaxing someone to redraw printed boards for Ronja he
> designed in Orcad in PCB and he asks how many libraries there are for
> PCB.
>
> I say that those shipped with the program and he says that it won't be
> much (which is true) and that it is more work to draw all the missing
> library elements than doing it in a different program.
>
> Why doesn't PCB webpage have also web submit feature like gschem?
> For example when I asked for BF988 element here, it was immediately sent
> to me by someone, but it isn't shipped with the program. This way there
> is a lot of elements which are locked down on someone's harddisk and
> they are not available for the public.

time, motivation.  issues of how to do any sort of quality control.

> He also asks "if there is a manual so one doesn't have to permanently
> work in a trial-error way or pestering people around". Is PCB manual of
> this kind? Last time I remember the file format descriptions were
> horribly obsolete.

I never have figured out a good way to deal with the file format 
description in the manual.  Current pcb can read _all_ old file formats. 
 Also, there are lots of footprints around in various versions of the 
file format.  This all makes a complete document tough.  I hate to say 
"read the sources", but I also don't know how to make a document more 
precise and accurate than whats in the yacc code.  If only the latest 
format is in the manual, many many existing footprints won't be documented.

I'm open to suggestions but don't want to spend a lot of time on 
something which will still be confusing.

-Dan