1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @setfilename tasks.info
4 @settitle GNU Task List
5 @c UPDATE THIS DATE WHENEVER YOU MAKE CHANGES!
6 @set lastupdate 6 February 1995
13 @author Free Software Foundation
14 @author last updated @value{lastupdate}
18 @node Top, Documentation, (dir), (dir)
21 This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
22 last updated on @value{lastupdate}.
25 Check with @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}, for a possibly more current copy.
26 This task list is not exclusive; any other useful program might be a
27 good project---but it might instead be something we already have, so
28 check with @code{gnu@@prep} before you start writing it.
32 * Unix-Related Projects::
35 * X Windows Projects::
38 * Games and Recreations::
41 If you start working steadily on a project, please let @code{gnu@@prep}
42 know. We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to
43 send you the GNU coding standards.
45 Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write
46 programming tools or programming languages, we have a comparative
47 shortage of applications useful for non-programmer users. Therefore,
48 we ask you to consider writing such a program.
50 In general, a new program that does a completely new job advances the
51 GNU project more than an improvement to an existing program.
54 @chapter Documentation
56 We very urgently need documentation for some parts of the system
57 that already exist or will exist very soon:
61 Completion of the documentation for CC-mode, a new C/C++ mode for
65 A C reference manual. (RMS has written half of one which you could
69 A manual for Ghostscript.
73 @c Ick, do we want to encourage using THAT? -djm
76 A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).
79 A manual for Perl. (The books that exist are not free, and
80 thus not available to be part of the GNU system.)
86 A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions
87 are written as they are.
90 A manual for programming X-window applications.
93 Manuals for various X window managers.
96 Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: Gawk, C
97 Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap and maybe the C Library.
100 Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep}, @code{cpio},
101 and other small utilities.
104 @node Unix-Related Projects
105 @chapter Unix-Related Projects
109 We could use an emulation of Unix @code{spell}, which would run by
110 invoking @code{ispell}.
113 Less urgent: @code{diction}, @code{explain}, @code{style}.
116 An improved version of the POSIX utility @code{pax}. There is one on
117 the Usenet, but it is said to be poorly written. Talk with
118 @code{mib@@gnu.ai.mit.edu} about this project.
122 Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
127 A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}.
130 Various other libraries.
133 An emulation of SCCS that works using RCS.
136 @node Kernel Projects
137 @chapter Kernel-Related Projects
141 An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be
142 debugged from GDB running on another machine.
144 This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols
145 to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement
146 all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those
147 processes. If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is
148 impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol
149 based directly on ethernet. It's not crucial to support high speed or
150 communicating across gateways.
152 It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would
156 A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable. The
157 machine specific parts should be kept well separated.
161 @chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
165 Enhance GCC. See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC
169 GNU @code{sed} probably needs to be rewritten completely just to make it
173 Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
174 was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
178 Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
179 files without reading entire files into core.
182 An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
185 A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
186 destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
187 to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to
188 @code{tron@@veritas.com} about this.
190 Smail also needs a new chief maintainer.
193 Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools. (We now have something at
194 about the level of @code{cxref}.) We also could use something like
195 @code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.)
198 @node X Windows Projects
199 @chapter X Windows Projects
203 An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
206 A music playing and editing system.
209 A "disk jockey" program to keep track of a collection of recorded music
210 samples (songs, etc), and queue up a sequence of them for playing. This
211 program could use rplay to do the actual playing.
214 A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
215 dancers moving on the screen.
218 Port the Vibrant toolkit to work on X without using Motif.
221 A widget for displaying circle-shaped menus ("pie menus") with X
225 A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
228 An interface-builder program to make it easy to design graphical
229 interfaces for applications. This could work with the dynamic linker
230 DLD and C++, loading in the same class definitions that will be used
231 by the application program.
234 A "desktop" program with drag-and-drop icons and such.
237 An "empire builder" system that makes it easy to write various kinds of
241 A paint program, supporting both bitmap-oriented operations and
242 component-oriented operations. @code{xpaint} exists, but isn't very
246 A program for manipulating photographs---something vaguely like Photo
247 Shop (though not exactly like it).
251 @chapter Other Projects
253 If you think of others that should be added, please
254 send them to @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
258 [This seems to be being done:]
259 A program to convert Postscript to plain ASCII text. Ghostscript will
260 soon have a mode to output all the text strings in a document, each with
261 its coordinates. You could write a program to start with this output
262 and ``layout the page'' in ASCII. The program will be both easier and
263 more useful if you don't worry pedantically about how the output text
264 should be formatted. Instead, try to make it look reasonable as plain
268 A program to convert compiled programs represented in OSF ANDF
269 (``Architecture Neutral Distribution Format'') into ANSI C.
272 An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
275 An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
278 A program to reformat Fortran programs in a way that is pretty.
281 A bulletin board system. There are a few free ones, but they don't have
282 all the features that people want in such systems. It would make sense
283 to start with an existing one and add the other features.
286 A general ledger program.
289 A single command language that could be suitable for use in a shell, in
290 GDB for programming debugging commands, in a program like @code{awk}, in
291 a calculator like @code{bc}, and so on. The fact that all these
292 programs are similar but different in peculiar details is a great source
293 of confusion. We are stuck with maintaining compatibility with Unix in
294 our shell, @code{awk}, and @code{bc}, but nothing prevents us from
295 having alternative programs using our new, uniform language. This would
296 make GNU far better for new users. Talk with @code{lord@@cygnus.com} if
297 you are interested in this project.
300 A program to typeset C code for printing.
301 For ideas on what to do, see the forthcoming book,
304 Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
305 Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
306 Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
309 (I don't quite agree with a few of the details they propose.)
312 Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
316 Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech).
319 Scientific mathematical subroutines, including clones of SPSS.
325 Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
328 Grammar and style checking programs.
331 An implementation of the S language (an interpreted languages used for
335 A translator from Scheme to C.
338 Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
339 scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
340 as character codes. This may not be very difficult if you let it
341 @emph{train} on part of the individual document to be scanned, so as to
342 learn what fonts are in use in that document. We would particularly
343 like to scan the Century Dictionary, an unabridged dictionary now in the
346 You don't need scanning hardware to work on OCR. We can send you
347 bitmaps you can use as test data.
349 We may soon have an OCR program, but it will need lots of additional work.
352 A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript.
355 A program to recognize handwriting.
358 A pen based interface.
361 Software suitable for creating virtual reality user interfaces.
364 CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
367 Software for displaying molecules.
370 Software for comparing DNA sequences, and finding matches and
375 @chapter Compilers for Other Batch Languages
377 Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
378 Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, or whatever, to be used with the code
379 generation phases of the GNU C compiler. (C++ and Objective C are done,
380 and Ada, Fortran, Pascal and Modula are being worked on.
381 @c Fortran status is here so gnu@prep and the volunteer coordinators
382 @c don't have to answer the question -len
383 The status of the Fortran compiler can be found by:
386 @code{finger -l fortran@@gnu.ai.mit.edu})
389 @node Games and Recreations
390 @chapter Games and Recreations
394 Video-oriented games should work with the X window system.
397 Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
400 Imitations of popular video games:
404 Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
406 Defending cities from missiles.
408 Plane shoots at lots of other planes.
410 Wizard fights fanciful monster.
414 Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
415 then watch it explore a world.
417 Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American).
419 A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds.
423 Intriguing screen-saver programs to make interesting pictures.
424 Other such programs that are simply entertaining to watch.
425 For example, an aquarium.
428 We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.