On Sun, 2006-04-09 at 10:55 -0400, Gene Heskett wrote: > fwd as requested > ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- > > Subject: GEDA discussion on fedora-list > Date: Sunday 09 April 2006 10:43 > From: Stuart Brorson <sdb@xxxxxxxxxx> > To: gene.heskett@xxxxxxxxxxx > Cc: Stuart Brorson <sdb@xxxxxxxxxx> > > Hi Gene -- > > Thanks for forwarding the discussion from Fedora-list to geda-user. I > read the discussion on the Fedora-list archives with great interest. > I would like to reply, but don't want to subscribe to Fedora-list -- > too much traffic. Can you please forward this e-mail to Fedora-list? > > Thanks, > > Stuart > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > Hello Fedora-list -- > > I am the guilty party responsible for the gEDA Install CD, which > attempts to install the entire suite of gEDA tools onto an aribtrary > Linux box. This installer was the subject of a recent thread on > Fedora-list. I'd like to add a couple of bits of information to the > topics previously discussed. > > > * Somebody asked for information describing gEDA so he could approach > his manager about using it. Several articles have appeared about gEDA > recently. January Linux Journal had an article, available online here: > > http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8438 > > Also, articles have appeared in "Circuit Cellar", March 2005, as well > as March 2006 and April 2006. The last two issues should still be > available at better magazine stores or libraries. > > > * About the difference between the RPMs available on the .pl website > and the suite of tools available on the CD: The CD is a superset of > the RPM collection. Also, the CD is a source distribution which > includes a distro-independent install wizard which automates the > process of checking for dependencies and building the software. The > CD follows the Gentoo philosophy, instead of just installing binary > RPM (or .deb or whatever) packages. > > The original gEDA project was limited to a schematic capture program, > a netlister, and some other utilities. These programs are formally > referred to as gEDA/gaf; the are distributed as the RPMs on the .pl > list (amongst other places). > > Allied with the gEDA project are a number of other EDA programs > (written by other programmers) which are now collectively members of > the gEDA project. These allied programs include a PCB layout editor, > Gerber viewer, analog and digital simulators, waveform viewers, and a > couple of other utilities. > > The entire suite of > gEDA/gaf and the other allied programs are now referred to as the gEDA > project. (Confused yet?) I have bundled this entire set of > programs onto the CD so EEs looking for a design suite can get > everything with a single download. > > You can read more about the project (and perhaps have this > particular question answered better) here: > > http://geda.seul.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=geda:faq#geda_faq > > > * About problems using the CD to install on FC5: When I build the CD > install disk, I take pains to test it to ensure that the install > wizard will run successfully on a variety of Linux machines. In > particular, I run a little test/validation lab in my basement where I > have some old, junk machines onto which I can install (and reinstall, > and reinstall ...) various Linux distros, and then install gEDA on top > of them. > > Currently, I validate the CD on SuSE 9.2, SuSE 10, and FC4. I also > validate the CD on FC 1 and an FC 2 boxes, although these are my > developement machines, and so they don't hold a generic install > (i.e. lots of stuff has been updated). Other testers validate the > installer on Debian. > > I spin a new CD every 4 -- 6 months, depending upon the main gEDA > release schedule. I haven't tested the CD on FC 5 yet since, well, I > have a busy, professional-life schedule and haven't had time to do the > work, and Linux distros move fast. :-) Therefore, I'm not suprised > that FC 5 presents a couple of small problems. > > (Also, the decision > to use gcc-4.0.x as the default compiler on FC 4 and beyond kneecapped > a couple of slower-developing programs, and we are still working on > getting them up to speed again. Forgive my whining.) > > Work-arounds and release notes pertainent to installing gEDA are put > on the gEDA wiki here: > > http://geda.seul.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=geda:installation > > The other gEDA developers and I do try to squish bugs quickly, > GEDA/gaf is particularly good w.r.t. keeping up with distro changes. > Other programs, however, can take longer as the individual developers > are all busy with other things. The install wizard always offers you > the option of just skipping a failing program and continuing, and > that's what I recommend for gnucap. Since the source tarballs are > bundled on the CD, you can do a manual install of any failed program > after running the install wizard. > > > * Finally, somebody mentioned that the install wizard puts things > into non-standard places. I would appreciate hearing more about this > issue. FWIW, I designed the installer to put system packages into > /usr/local/src, and put the built programs into the > /usr/* hierarchy (i.e. --prefix=/usr). Using the installer, the gEDA > stuff itself can be put into any directory you specify. > > > I appreciate any and all constructive suggestions/comments/bug > reports. I am very interested in seeing gEDA (and other open-souce > CAD packages) developed further and finding wider use amongst Linux > users. If you want more info about gEDA, or have a problem with the > installer, please check the wiki first. If that fails, feel free to > e-mail me at sdb (*at*) cloud9 (*dot*) net. > > Thanks, > > Stuart > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > -- > Cheers, Gene > People having trouble with vz bouncing email to me should add the word > 'online' between the 'verizon', and the dot which bypasses vz's > stupid bounce rules. I do use spamassassin too. :-) > Yahoo.com and AOL/TW attorneys please note, additions to the above > message by Gene Heskett are: > Copyright 2006 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved. > Unfortuntely, I fail to discover where to report problems. I thought I posted a problem for gnucaps and now I don't know where that site is. The gnucaps home directory looks as if it is very old - and hard to navigate through. Dan
