code.delx.au - gnu-emacs/blob - etc/tasks.texi

   1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
   2 @c %**start of header
   3 @setfilename tasks.info
   4 @settitle GNU Task List
   5 @c UPDATE THIS DATE WHENEVER YOU MAKE CHANGES!
   6 @set lastupdate 19 March 1997
   7 @c %**end of header
   8
   9 @setchapternewpage off
  10
  11 @titlepage
  12 @title GNU Task List
  13 @author Free Software Foundation
  14 @author last updated @value{lastupdate}
  15 @end titlepage
  16
  17 @ifinfo
  18 @node Top, Preface, (dir), (dir)
  19 @top GNU Task List
  20
  21 This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
  22 last updated on @value{lastupdate}.
  23 @end ifinfo
  24
  25 @menu
  26 * Preface::
  27 * Documentation::
  28 * Unix-Related Projects::
  29 * Kernel Projects::
  30 * Extensions::
  31 * X Windows Projects::
  32 * Other Projects::
  33 * Compilers::
  34 * Games and Recreations::
  35 @end menu
  36
  37 @node Preface, Documentation, Top, Top
  38 @chapter About the GNU Task List
  39
  40 Check with @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}, for a possibly more current
  41 copy.  You can also ftp it from a GNU FTP host in directory
  42 @file{/pub/gnu/tasks} - These files in different formats are available:
  43 @file{tasks.text}, @file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and
  44 @file{tasks.dvi}.  It is also available on the GNU World Wide Web
  45 server: @file{http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu}.
  46
  47 If you start working steadily on a project, please let @code{gnu@@prep}
  48 know.  We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to
  49 send you the GNU coding standards.
  50
  51 Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write programming
  52 tools or programming languages, we have a comparative shortage of
  53 applications useful for non-programmer users.  Therefore, we ask you to
  54 consider writing such a program.
  55
  56 Typically, a new program that does a completely new job advances
  57 the GNU project, and the free software community, more than an
  58 improvement to an existing program.
  59
  60 Typically, new features or new programs advance the free software
  61 community more, in the long run, than porting existing programs.  One
  62 reason is that portable new features and programs benefit people on many
  63 platforms, not just one.  At the same time, there tend to be many
  64 volunteers for porting---so your help will be more valuable in other
  65 areas, where volunteers are more scarce.
  66
  67 Typically, it is more useful to extend a program in functionality than
  68 to improve performance.  Users who use the new functionality will
  69 appreciate it very much, if they use it; but even when they benefit from
  70 a performance improvement, they may not consider it very important.
  71
  72 @node Documentation
  73 @chapter Documentation
  74
  75 We very urgently need documentation for some parts of the system
  76 that already exist or will exist very soon:
  77
  78 @itemize @bullet
  79 @item
  80 Completion of the documentation for CC-mode, a new Emacs mode for
  81 C, C++ and other languages.
  82
  83 @item
  84 A C reference manual.  (RMS made a try at one, which you could start
  85 with).
  86
  87 @item
  88 A manual for Ghostscript.
  89
  90
  91 @item
  92 A manual for TCSH.
  93
  94 @item
  95 A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).
  96
  97 @item
  98 A manual for Oleo.
  99
 100 @item
 101 A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions
 102 are written as they are.
 103
 104 @item
 105 A manual for programming X-window applications.
 106
 107 @item
 108 Manuals for various X window managers.
 109
 110 @item
 111 Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C
 112 Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library.
 113
 114 @item
 115 Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep} and others.
 116 @end itemize
 117
 118 @node Unix-Related Projects
 119 @chapter Unix-Related Projects
 120
 121 @itemize @bullet
 122 @item
 123 An improved version of the POSIX utility @code{pax}.  There is one on
 124 Usenet, but it is said to be poorly written.  Talk with
 125 @code{mib@@gnu.ai.mit.edu} about this project.
 126
 127 @ignore
 128 @item
 129 Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
 130 @code{bc}.
 131 @end ignore
 132
 133 @item
 134 A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}.
 135
 136 @item
 137 Various other libraries.
 138
 139 @item
 140 An emulation of SCCS that works using RCS.
 141
 142 @item
 143 Less urgent: @code{diction}, @code{explain}, and @code{style}, or
 144 something to do the same kind of job.  Compatibility with Unix is not
 145 especially important for these programs.
 146 @end itemize
 147
 148 @node Kernel Projects
 149 @chapter Kernel-Related Projects
 150
 151 @itemize @bullet
 152 @item
 153 An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be
 154 debugged from GDB running on another machine.
 155
 156 This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols
 157 to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement
 158 all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those
 159 processes.  If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is
 160 impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol
 161 based directly on ethernet.  It's not crucial to support high speed or
 162 communicating across gateways.
 163
 164 It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would
 165 need some changes.
 166
 167 @item
 168 A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable.  The
 169 machine specific parts should be kept well separated.
 170
 171 @item
 172 An implementation of CIFS, the ``Common Internet File System,'' for the
 173 HURD.  This protocol is an offshoot of SMB.
 174 @end itemize
 175
 176 @node Extensions
 177 @chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
 178
 179 @itemize @bullet
 180 @item
 181 Enhance GCC.  See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC
 182 distribution.
 183
 184 @item
 185 Rewrite GNU @code{sed} completely, to make it cleaner.
 186
 187 @item
 188 Rewrite Automake and Deja-GNU in Scheme, so they can run in Guile.
 189 Right now they are written in Perl and TCL, respectively.  There are
 190 also other programs, not terribly long, which we would also like
 191 to have rewritten in Scheme.
 192
 193 @item
 194 Finish the partially-implemented C interpreter project.
 195
 196 @item
 197 Help with the development of GNUStep, a GNU implementation of the
 198 OpenStep specification.
 199
 200 @item
 201 Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
 202 was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
 203 has changed.
 204
 205 @item
 206 Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
 207 files without reading entire files into core.
 208
 209 @item
 210 An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
 211
 212 @item
 213 A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
 214 destination rather than by original message.  This makes it possible
 215 to schedule retries coherently for each destination.  Talk to
 216 @code{tron@@veritas.com} about this.
 217
 218 Smail also needs a new chief maintainer.
 219
 220 @item
 221 Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools.  (We now have something at
 222 about the level of @code{cxref}.)  We also could use something like
 223 @code{ctrace}.  (Some people are now working on this project.)
 224 @end itemize
 225
 226 @node X Windows Projects
 227 @chapter X Windows Projects
 228
 229 @itemize @bullet
 230 @item
 231 An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
 232
 233 @item
 234 A music playing and editing system.
 235
 236 @item
 237 A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
 238 dancers moving on the screen.
 239
 240 @item
 241 Port the Vibrant toolkit to work on X without using Motif.
 242
 243 @item
 244 A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
 245
 246 @item
 247 A paint program, supporting both bitmap-oriented operations and
 248 component-oriented operations.  @code{xpaint} exists, but isn't very
 249 usable.
 250
 251 @item
 252 A vector-based drawing program in the spirit of Adobe Illustrator
 253 and Corel Draw.
 254
 255 @item
 256 An interactive 3D modeling utility with rendering/raytracing capabilities.
 257
 258 @item
 259 A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
 260 @end itemize
 261
 262 @node Other Projects
 263 @chapter Other Projects
 264
 265 If you think of others that should be added, please
 266 send them to @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
 267
 268 @itemize @bullet
 269 @item
 270 A free program for public-key encryption.
 271
 272 This program should use the Diffie-Helman algorithm for public key
 273 encryption, not the RSA algorithm, because the Diffie-Helman patent in
 274 the US will expire in 1997.  It should use triple-DES, not IDEA, for
 275 block encryption because IDEA is patented in many countries and the
 276 patents will not expire soon.  In other respects, it should be like PGP.
 277
 278 This program needs to be written by someone who is not a US citizen,
 279 outside the US, to avoid problems with US export control law.
 280
 281 Many people believe that PGP is free software, but that is not actually
 282 true.  The distribution terms set by the copyright holders do not allow
 283 everyone to use and redistribute it.
 284
 285 @item
 286 A program to convert compiled programs represented in OSF ANDF
 287 (``Architecture Neutral Distribution Format'') into ANSI C.
 288
 289 @item
 290 An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
 291
 292 @item
 293 An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
 294
 295 @item
 296 A program to reformat Fortran programs in a way that is pretty.
 297
 298 @item
 299 A bulletin board system.  There are a few free ones, but they don't have
 300 all the features that people want in such systems.  It would make sense
 301 to start with an existing one and add the other features.
 302
 303 @item
 304 A general ledger program, including support for accounts payable,
 305 account receivables, payroll, inventory control, order processing, etc.
 306
 307 @item
 308 A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
 309 alas, not free software).
 310
 311 @item
 312 A program to typeset C code for printing.
 313 For ideas on what to do, see the book,
 314
 315 @display
 316 Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
 317 Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
 318 Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
 319 @end display
 320
 321 (I don't quite agree with a few of the details they propose.)
 322
 323 @item
 324 Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
 325 could improve).
 326
 327 @item
 328 Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech is sufficient).
 329
 330 @item
 331 A program to play sound distributed in ``Real Audio'' format.
 332
 333 @item
 334 A program to generate ``Real Audio'' format from audio input.
 335
 336 @item
 337 More scientific mathematical subroutines.
 338 (A clone of SPSS is being written already.)
 339
 340 @item
 341 Statistical tools.
 342
 343 @item
 344 Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
 345
 346 @item
 347 Grammar and style checking programs.
 348
 349 @item
 350 An implementation of the S language (an interpreted language used for
 351 statistics).
 352
 353 @item
 354 A translator from Scheme to C.
 355
 356 @item
 357 Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
 358 scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
 359 as character codes.  Work is being done on this, but more help is needed.
 360
 361 @item
 362 A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript.
 363
 364 @item
 365 A program to recognize handwriting.
 366
 367 @item
 368 A pen based interface.
 369
 370 @item
 371 CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
 372
 373 @item
 374 Software for comparing DNA sequences, and finding matches and
 375 alignments.
 376 @end itemize
 377
 378 @node Compilers
 379 @chapter Compilers for Other Batch Languages
 380
 381 Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
 382 Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, Cobol, Fortran 90, or whatever, to be used
 383 with the code generation phases of the GNU C compiler.  (C, C++, and
 384 Objective-C are done; Fortran 77 is mostly done; Ada, Pascal, and Java
 385 are being worked on.)
 386
 387 @c Fortran status is here so gnu@prep and the volunteer coordinators
 388 @c don't have to answer the question -len
 389 You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command:
 390
 391 @example
 392 finger -l fortran@@gnu.ai.mit.edu
 393 @end example
 394
 395 @node Games and Recreations
 396 @chapter Games and Recreations
 397
 398 Video-oriented games that work with the X window system.
 399
 400 @itemize @bullet
 401 @item
 402 A Doom-compatible display game engine, for running the many free
 403 levels people have written for Doom.
 404
 405 @item
 406 Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
 407
 408 @item
 409 An ``empire builder'' system that makes it easy to write various kinds of
 410 simulation games.
 411
 412 @item
 413 Improve GnuGo, which is not yet very sophisticated.
 414
 415 @item
 416 Imitations of popular video games:
 417
 418 @itemize -
 419 @item
 420 Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
 421 @item
 422 Defending cities from missiles.
 423 @item
 424 Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
 425 @item
 426 Wizard fights fanciful monster.
 427 @item
 428 A golf game.
 429 @item
 430 Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
 431 then watch it explore a world.
 432 @item
 433 Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American).
 434 @item
 435 A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds.
 436 @end itemize
 437
 438 @item
 439 Intriguing screen-saver programs to make interesting pictures.
 440 Other such programs that are simply entertaining to watch.
 441 For example, an aquarium.
 442 @end itemize
 443
 444 We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.
 445
 446 @contents
 447
 448 @bye