--- In [email protected], Magnus Beischer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Roger wrote: > > > > What we do need is the internet enabled library editor and the unlimited > > field list with a grid list on the component properties page. > > > > Thoughts anybody? > > > > Why not set up a subversion repository (or cvs) for shared libraries so > we all can easily contribute to the libraries. It would need som basic > guidlines for naming components etc. but it could be done... > > // Magnus >
The problem is a) in the guidelines and b) in the use. There are 2 ways at looking at how libraries should be: *************** Mode A) Libraries should be standard and centralized such that we can link designs to components in libraries and accept the component form as it is. **************** Mode B) Libraries should be bazzar where you fish around for components to place into the private library which holds all the components of your design. ********************* Personally I favour Mode B, but I so no reason why people should not choose Mode A) if they wish. In this respect CVS is inflexible, it is only really appropriate for Mode A), it requires carefull administration and access rights. On the one hand you do not want to risk having the libraries mixed up by an enthusiastic but inexpert newbie, on the other hand you do not want to exclude the valid contributions from users who do not post regularly bu happen to have a perfectly valid 500 pin BGA component or a some brilliant 3D modules of LCD displays. But what I proposed addresses both modes. It is only necessary to standardise a way of presenting components on web pages and allowing the library editor to browse and fish these components using a list of sites given by the user. Casual Mode B users such as myself can fish around for components and publish parts we have designed on our own free hompages. No access problems as each only updates his own website and the library editor only needs ftp info and component root directory for our own server in order to allow us to publish our components directly. On the other hand, if a group of Mode A) users decide they want to maintain a common standard library for a family of parts then they set up thier CVS server which they use for updating, and put some PHP or Perl script of something to present the component data in the standard way. ****Plan B****** Writing this, I have also thought of a "third way". Just suppose that the CVS server was a multi-project server, kind of like source forge. Individual users could have thier own "sites", like a project with a home page where they also describe thier libraries and thier key/value pairs, whilst other 'projects' could host Mode A) users, where registered users collaborate on maintaining a controlled standard library which can be relied upon. One mechanism fit's all! That would make things easier for the library editor, it need only worry about linking to CVS, which is well documented and libraries allready exist for pulling and poking data. The problem would be setting up and maintaining the server. Hosting should not be much of a problem as the quantity of data involved is peanuts by modern standards. Perhaps it could be hosted on sourceforge? If they had a category for "EDA files" the rest of the mechanism could be used as-is. Source forge rely on targetted advertising, no shortage of that for electronics designers. If people used thier sourceforge project homepage for describing the library then the library editor could have a built in browser (and page editor) that automatically brings up the homepage for a selected component if desired (browser et al allready exist as wxWidgets). That way sourceforge get thier targetted advertising straight onto designers workspaces and we get a library server for free! Am I a genius? I think so, but I bet the next post is going to point out a wapping big hole in my reasoning :-))) Saluti, Roger.
