Re: gEDA-user: Free Dog meeting report: Notes on the topics we discussed

[Bob Paddock <bob.paddock@xxxxxxxxx>]

> ---------------------  Free Dog notes  --------------------------
> * Symbol library organization approaches: advantages and
> disadvantages.

> * The Windows port and its current lack of state
>
> Ales showed off the latest gschem working under MinGW.   Everbody was
> impressed.  We discussed whether PCB worked fully, natively under
> Windoze (not under Cygwin, but possibly under MinGW).

I have gotten the current GTK2 PCB to work under Cygwin.  I passed the missing
dependency issues up stream to the Cygwin setup maintainer.  The only real 
trick now is that when you go to install the cygwin packages you must use the 
'full view' in setup.exe as the default category view does not show you some 
of the packages that you need, like gtk2-devel.

I have also gotten the X-Server X.ming running natively under windoze.
The problem that I could not over come, so far, as I could not get a native 
GTK2 to build from source due to recursive dependencies.

Ales mentioned at the meeting that there might be some prebuilt .DLLs that 
actually worked, rather than the ones that are commonly found when looking 
for them on Internet.  Ales?  With those I can give cross compiling a shot.

> Additionally, Ales said that the Windoze port of gEDA/gaf was wildly
> popular, even though it was several years old.  Bob said that his boss
> wanted a Windoze port.  I, again, opined that Windoze users could
> perform unnatural acts on themselves.  

Especially the boss, actually the IT department in my case.  :-)

> Due to its evident popularity, 
> Ales suggested that he would work on the Windoze part.  I suggested
> that he could recruit somebody else to do the work.  Are there any
> Windoze developers on this list who want to try porting/compiling the
> latest gEDA/gaf to Windoze?

I'll do what I can.  I know I can handle the installer for Windows as I do 
that as part of the day-job all the time, when we get to the point that we 
have something to install.

> Bob:  Had his own C++ program which handled BOM creation.  He also
> mentioned that he had gotten Compire -- the ERP system -- up and
> going, but wasn't using it yet. He said that due to his background in
> manufacturing, he was interested in using Compire to create an entire
> open-source design and manufacture flow.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/compiere/ is always in Source Forge's Top Ten 
list.

Compiere  is a complete work flow system.  It has a web store front end where 
you enter a order for a widget and it gets done what is needed to break the 
order down into its constituent parts so they can be ordered, and the build 
scheduled.

To get Compiere up and running you need:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/compiere/

http://www.janus-software.com/fb_fyracle.html
and the Firebird database:

http://firebird.sourceforge.net/

It does run on Windozs as well.

> * Post meeting - use of Wiki in the gEDA webpage.
>
> Ales suggested using a Wiki to hold information about gEDA.  In
> particular, he wants to use something like a Wiki to hold a FAQ, and
> direct newbies with questions to the FAQ, where currently he has to
> monitor the mailing list, or answer via e-mail.  I think this is a
> great idea.

I have seen the setting up of Wiki's kill list contributions as some prefer 
one over the other.  It comes down to if you prefer push or pull styles of 
getting information.  Personally I prefer to have the info pushed via list in 
my direction.  I don't have time to go pull it from all of the Wiki's that 
I'd like to monitor.

> THe problem is spam, and how to control/prohibit spammers from writing
> garbage to the gEDA Wiki?

http://subwiki.tigris.org/ is based on the SubVersion version control system,
makes it easy to revert things, and still have all messages in the archive if 
you really need to go back and see the messages you deleted.  This is 
important in some military and business environments.

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