Re: gEDA-user: gschem guile scripting

[John Doty <jpd@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Oct 31, 2010, at 11:00 AM, DJ Delorie wrote:

> 
>>> Why, i wanted to create some scheme script to be invoked from
>>> gschem to show/hide pinnumbers on currently opened schematics, why
>>> i would use gnetlist for that?
>> 
>> For the same reason that you wouldn't want to use pliers as a
>> hammer. gschem has very little knowledge of what the graphics
>> *mean*. This is a very good thing, a key feature of gEDA's design,
>> one that distinguishes it from all the fritterware out there.
> 
> When a user complains that they can't get their work done,

Worrying about pin number visibility is not focusing on the work, but focusing on minor aspects of the presentation. That, of course, is the strength of fritterware.

> the WRONG
> answer is to tell them they're better off that way.

I am extremely grateful that gEDA is not fritterware, but concerned that it might become fritterware.

> 
> PCB's plugins can iterate through all the <foo> on the current board.
> It's really useful, and something you'd expect a layout app to be able
> to do.

PCB is the most troubled tool in the gEDA kit, not a good example for the path forward for the rest of the tools.

> 
> Why shouldn't our schematic editor be able to iterate through all the
> <foo> on the current schematic?

For the same reason it's bad to put a hammerhead on a pair of pliers. Most tools should be specialists. Even creating a Swiss Army knife that's genuinely useful requires great discipline in choosing the functions.

gEDA is ideally suited for doing this kind of thing with a script *outside* of gschem. I am pleased that gschem remains unusually simple and clean.

John Doty              Noqsi Aerospace, Ltd.
http://www.noqsi.com/
jpd@xxxxxxxxx




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