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1 | \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 | @c %**start of header | |
3 | @setfilename tasks.info | |
4 | @settitle GNU Task List | |
fff05d88 | 5 | @c This date is automagically updated when you save this file: |
625f1c23 | 6 | @set lastupdate March 26, 1999 |
bb5d4e1a RS |
7 | @c %**end of header |
8 | ||
9 | @setchapternewpage off | |
10 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
11 | @titlepage |
12 | @title GNU Task List | |
d6eb79ad | 13 | @author Free Software Foundation |
bb5d4e1a | 14 | @author last updated @value{lastupdate} |
bb5d4e1a RS |
15 | @end titlepage |
16 | ||
17 | @ifinfo | |
55616d18 | 18 | @node Top, Intro, (dir), (dir) |
d9e60f52 | 19 | @top GNU Task List |
bb5d4e1a | 20 | |
d6eb79ad RS |
21 | This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was |
22 | last updated on @value{lastupdate}. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
23 | @end ifinfo |
24 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 25 | @menu |
6af1f598 JWI |
26 | * Intro:: |
27 | * Highest Priority:: | |
28 | * Documentation:: | |
29 | * Unix-Related Projects:: | |
30 | * Kernel Projects:: | |
31 | * Extensions:: | |
32 | * X Windows Projects:: | |
33 | * Network Projects:: | |
34 | * Encryption Projects:: | |
35 | * Other Projects:: | |
36 | * Languages:: | |
37 | * Games and Recreations:: | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
38 | @end menu |
39 | ||
6af1f598 | 40 | @node Intro, Highest Priority, Top, Top |
c05524ad RS |
41 | @chapter About the GNU Task List |
42 | ||
7c4978a8 | 43 | If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and |
9459fac1 JG |
44 | recently, please check for a newer version. You can ftp the task list |
45 | from any GNU FTP host in directory @file{/pub/gnu/tasks/}. The task | |
7c4978a8 | 46 | list is available there in several different formats: @file{tasks.text}, |
541d49e1 JG |
47 | @file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and @file{tasks.dvi}. The GNU |
48 | HURD task list is also there in file @file{tasks.hurd}. | |
49 | @c to fix an overfill, join the paragraphs -len | |
7c4978a8 | 50 | The task list is also available on the GNU World Wide Web server: |
fff05d88 | 51 | @uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks_toc.html}. |
c05524ad | 52 | |
fff05d88 | 53 | If you start working steadily on a project, please let @email{gvc@@gnu.org} |
d9e60f52 DM |
54 | know. We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to |
55 | send you the GNU coding standards. | |
bb5d4e1a | 56 | |
c05524ad RS |
57 | Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write programming |
58 | tools or programming languages, we have a comparative shortage of | |
59 | applications useful for non-programmer users. Therefore, we ask you to | |
60 | consider writing such a program. | |
bb5d4e1a | 61 | |
d17fd035 RS |
62 | Typically, a new program that does a completely new job advances |
63 | the GNU project, and the free software community, more than an | |
64 | improvement to an existing program. | |
65 | ||
66 | Typically, new features or new programs advance the free software | |
67 | community more, in the long run, than porting existing programs. One | |
68 | reason is that portable new features and programs benefit people on many | |
69 | platforms, not just one. At the same time, there tend to be many | |
70 | volunteers for porting---so your help will be more valuable in other | |
71 | areas, where volunteers are more scarce. | |
72 | ||
73 | Typically, it is more useful to extend a program in functionality than | |
74 | to improve performance. Users who use the new functionality will | |
75 | appreciate it very much, if they use it; but even when they benefit from | |
76 | a performance improvement, they may not consider it very important. | |
bb5d4e1a | 77 | |
6af1f598 | 78 | @node Highest Priority, Documentation, Intro, Top |
7c4978a8 RS |
79 | @chapter Highest Priority |
80 | ||
81 | This task list mentions a large number of tasks that would be more or | |
82 | less useful. With luck, at least one of them will inspire you to start | |
83 | writing. It's better for you to work on any task that inspires you than | |
84 | not write free software at all. | |
85 | ||
86 | But if you would like to work on what we need most, here is a list of | |
87 | high priority projects. | |
88 | ||
89 | @itemize @bullet | |
90 | @item | |
632c6364 | 91 | If you are good at writing documentation, please do that. |
7c4978a8 RS |
92 | |
93 | @item | |
94 | If you are very good at C programming and interested in kernels, you can | |
541d49e1 | 95 | help develop the GNU HURD, the kernel for the GNU system. Please have a |
fff05d88 | 96 | look at @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html}, and |
541d49e1 JG |
97 | then get a copy of the latest HURD task list from: |
98 | ||
99 | @itemize @bullet | |
100 | ||
101 | @item | |
fff05d88 | 102 | @uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.hurd.html}, via the World Wide |
541d49e1 JG |
103 | Web. |
104 | ||
105 | @item | |
fff05d88 | 106 | @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/tasks/tasks.hurd}, via anonymous FTP. |
541d49e1 JG |
107 | |
108 | @item | |
fff05d88 | 109 | @email{gnu@@gnu.org} via e-mail. |
541d49e1 JG |
110 | |
111 | @end itemize | |
7c4978a8 RS |
112 | |
113 | @item | |
541d49e1 | 114 | If you are a Scheme fan, you can help develop Guile. Please have a look |
fff05d88 RS |
115 | at the URL @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/guile.html} |
116 | and then contact the Guile developers at @email{guile@@gnu.org}. | |
7c4978a8 | 117 | |
9dde84c6 RS |
118 | @item |
119 | A package to convert programs written using MS Access into Scheme, | |
120 | making use of a free data base system and the GTK toolkit. | |
121 | ||
7c4978a8 | 122 | @item |
0f82d9d8 | 123 | Help develop XmHTML. See @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~ripley/XmHTML/}. |
7c4978a8 RS |
124 | |
125 | @item | |
fff05d88 RS |
126 | Help develop software to emulate Windows NT on top of GNU systems. |
127 | For example, you could help work on Willows Twin. | |
0f82d9d8 | 128 | See @uref{http://www.willows.com/}. |
7c4978a8 RS |
129 | |
130 | @item | |
131 | Implement the Kermit data transfer protocol. (See below.) | |
132 | ||
fff05d88 | 133 | @ignore This is being done (Harmony) |
7c4978a8 | 134 | @item |
632c6364 RS |
135 | Develop a free compatible replacement for Qt, a GUI toolkit library. Qt |
136 | is not free software, because users are prohibited from distributing | |
137 | modified versions. Thus, Qt cannot be included in a free operating | |
138 | system (adding it would make the system as a whole non-free). | |
139 | ||
140 | But some developers are writing free applications that use Qt and cannot | |
141 | run without it. These programs, although free software, are useless for | |
142 | free operating systems because there is no way to make them run. | |
143 | ||
144 | This is leading to a serious problem, and a free replacement for Qt is | |
145 | the only solution. Hence the high degree of urgency of this project. | |
fff05d88 RS |
146 | @end ignore |
147 | ||
7c4978a8 RS |
148 | @item |
149 | Develop a substitute, which runs on GNU systems, for some very popular | |
150 | or very important application that many non-programmers use on Windows, | |
151 | and which has no comparable free equivalent now. | |
152 | @end itemize | |
153 | ||
6af1f598 | 154 | @node Documentation, Unix-Related Projects, Highest Priority, Top |
bb5d4e1a RS |
155 | @chapter Documentation |
156 | ||
fff05d88 RS |
157 | We very urgently need documentation for many existing parts of the |
158 | system. | |
159 | ||
160 | Note that there are proprietary manuals for many of these topics, but | |
0f82d9d8 RS |
161 | proprietary manuals do not count, for the same reason proprietary |
162 | software does not count: we are not free to copy and modify them. | |
163 | We do not recommend any non-free materials as documentation. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
164 | |
165 | @itemize @bullet | |
0f82d9d8 RS |
166 | @item |
167 | A unified manual for La@TeX{}. (Existing documentation is non-free.) | |
168 | ||
169 | @item | |
170 | A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander. | |
171 | ||
172 | @item | |
173 | A manual for GNU SQL. | |
174 | ||
175 | @item | |
176 | A thorough manual for RCS. | |
177 | ||
178 | @item | |
179 | A reference manual for Mach. | |
180 | ||
181 | @item | |
182 | A reference manual for the GNU Hurd features in GNU libc. | |
183 | ||
184 | @item | |
185 | A manual for writing Hurd servers. | |
186 | ||
fff05d88 | 187 | @item |
0f82d9d8 RS |
188 | Reference manuals for C++, Objective C, Pascal, Fortran 77, and Java. |
189 | ||
190 | @item | |
191 | A tutorial manual for the C++ STL (standard template library). | |
192 | ||
193 | @item | |
194 | GNU Objective-C Runtime Library Manual; this would be a reference manual | |
195 | for the runtime library functions, structures, and classes. Some work | |
196 | has been done on this job. | |
197 | ||
198 | @item | |
199 | Manuals for GNUstep: developer tutorial, developer programming manual, | |
200 | developer reference manual, and user manual. | |
fff05d88 | 201 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
202 | @item |
203 | A manual for Ghostscript. | |
c05524ad | 204 | |
c05524ad RS |
205 | @item |
206 | A manual for TCSH. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
207 | |
208 | @item | |
dc32c4fa RS |
209 | A coherent free reference manual for Perl. Most of the Perl on-line |
210 | reference documentation can be used as a starting point, but work is | |
211 | needed to weld them together into a coherent manual. | |
bb5d4e1a | 212 | |
bb5d4e1a | 213 | @item |
fff05d88 RS |
214 | A good free Perl language tutorial introduction. The existing Perl |
215 | introductions are published with restrictions on copying and | |
216 | modification, so that they cannot be part of a GNU system. | |
217 | ||
218 | @item | |
219 | A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language). | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
220 | |
221 | @item | |
222 | A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions | |
223 | are written as they are. | |
224 | ||
225 | @item | |
0f82d9d8 | 226 | A manual for programming applications for X11. |
bb5d4e1a RS |
227 | |
228 | @item | |
229 | Manuals for various X window managers. | |
230 | ||
231 | @item | |
261597d4 | 232 | Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C |
c05524ad | 233 | Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library. |
bb5d4e1a RS |
234 | |
235 | @item | |
261597d4 | 236 | Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep} and others. |
bb5d4e1a RS |
237 | @end itemize |
238 | ||
6af1f598 | 239 | @node Unix-Related Projects, Kernel Projects, Documentation, Top |
d9e60f52 | 240 | @chapter Unix-Related Projects |
bb5d4e1a | 241 | |
d9e60f52 | 242 | @itemize @bullet |
5aba97f2 | 243 | @ignore |
bb5d4e1a RS |
244 | @item |
245 | Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU | |
246 | @code{bc}. | |
5aba97f2 | 247 | @end ignore |
bb5d4e1a RS |
248 | |
249 | @item | |
250 | A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}. | |
251 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 252 | @item |
fff05d88 RS |
253 | Less urgent: make a replacement for the ``writer's workbench'' program |
254 | @code{style}, or something to do the same kind of job. Compatibility | |
255 | with Unix is not especially important for this programs. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
256 | @end itemize |
257 | ||
6af1f598 | 258 | @node Kernel Projects, Extensions, Unix-Related Projects, Top |
d9e60f52 | 259 | @chapter Kernel-Related Projects |
bb5d4e1a | 260 | |
d9e60f52 | 261 | @itemize @bullet |
bb5d4e1a | 262 | @item |
5aba97f2 | 263 | An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be |
bb5d4e1a RS |
264 | debugged from GDB running on another machine. |
265 | ||
5aba97f2 RS |
266 | This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols |
267 | to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement | |
268 | all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those | |
269 | processes. If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is | |
270 | impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol | |
271 | based directly on ethernet. It's not crucial to support high speed or | |
272 | communicating across gateways. | |
273 | ||
274 | It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would | |
275 | need some changes. | |
276 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
277 | @item |
278 | A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable. The | |
279 | machine specific parts should be kept well separated. | |
c05524ad RS |
280 | |
281 | @item | |
282 | An implementation of CIFS, the ``Common Internet File System,'' for the | |
283 | HURD. This protocol is an offshoot of SMB. | |
c6d6677e RS |
284 | |
285 | @item | |
286 | Support (in Linux?) for dumping the non-textual contents of an SVGA | |
287 | console. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
288 | @end itemize |
289 | ||
6af1f598 | 290 | @node Extensions, X Windows Projects, Kernel Projects, Top |
d9e60f52 | 291 | @chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software |
bb5d4e1a | 292 | |
d9e60f52 | 293 | @itemize @bullet |
bb5d4e1a | 294 | @item |
d9e60f52 DM |
295 | Enhance GCC. See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC |
296 | distribution. | |
bb5d4e1a | 297 | |
a81ed99e RS |
298 | @item |
299 | Interface GDB to Guile, so that users can write debugging commands in | |
300 | Scheme. This would also make it possible to write, in Scheme, a | |
fff05d88 RS |
301 | graphical interface that uses GTK and is tightly integrated into GDB. |
302 | ||
303 | @item | |
304 | Extend Octave to support programs that were written | |
305 | to run on Khoros. | |
a81ed99e | 306 | |
2eebaacd | 307 | @item |
d71de6f9 JWI |
308 | Rewrite Automake in Scheme, so it can run in Guile. Right now it is |
309 | written in Perl. There are also other programs, not terribly long, | |
310 | which we would also like to have rewritten in Scheme. | |
fff05d88 | 311 | |
b6a061a8 RS |
312 | @item |
313 | Finish the partially-implemented C interpreter project. | |
2eebaacd RS |
314 | |
315 | @item | |
fff05d88 | 316 | Help with the development of GNUstep, a GNU implementation of the |
2eebaacd RS |
317 | OpenStep specification. |
318 | ||
5aba97f2 RS |
319 | @item |
320 | Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file | |
321 | was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile | |
322 | has changed. | |
323 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
324 | @item |
325 | Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input | |
326 | files without reading entire files into core. | |
327 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
328 | @item |
329 | An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}. | |
330 | ||
fff05d88 RS |
331 | @item |
332 | An implementation of XML (see @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/}). | |
333 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
334 | @item |
335 | A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by | |
336 | destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible | |
337 | to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to | |
fff05d88 | 338 | @email{tron@@veritas.com} about this. |
bb5d4e1a | 339 | |
5aba97f2 | 340 | Smail also needs a new chief maintainer. |
bb5d4e1a | 341 | |
5aba97f2 RS |
342 | @item |
343 | Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools. (We now have something at | |
344 | about the level of @code{cxref}.) We also could use something like | |
345 | @code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.) | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
346 | @end itemize |
347 | ||
6af1f598 | 348 | @node X Windows Projects, Network Projects, Extensions, Top |
d9e60f52 | 349 | @chapter X Windows Projects |
bb5d4e1a | 350 | |
d9e60f52 | 351 | @itemize @bullet |
bb5d4e1a RS |
352 | @item |
353 | An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows. | |
354 | ||
0f82d9d8 RS |
355 | @item |
356 | A package that emulates the API of Visual C++, but operates on top of | |
357 | X11. It need not match the screen appearance of Visual C++. Instead, | |
358 | it would be best to use GTK, so as to give coherence with GNOME. | |
359 | ||
360 | @item | |
361 | A compatible replacement for Visual Basic, running on top of X11. | |
362 | It need not match the screen appearance of Visual C++. Instead, | |
363 | it would be best to use GTK, so as to give coherence with GNOME. | |
364 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 365 | @item |
ca0afed9 | 366 | A music playing and editing system. This should work with LilyPond, a |
fff05d88 RS |
367 | GNU program for music typesetting. |
368 | ||
0f82d9d8 RS |
369 | @item |
370 | An ear-training program for students of music. | |
371 | ||
fff05d88 RS |
372 | @item |
373 | An ephemeris program to replace xephem (which is, alas, too restricted | |
374 | to qualify as free software). | |
7263f2f7 | 375 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
376 | @item |
377 | A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display | |
378 | dancers moving on the screen. | |
379 | ||
b10fca68 | 380 | @item |
fff05d88 | 381 | Make sure the Vibrant toolkit works with LessTif instead of Motif. |
b10fca68 | 382 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
383 | @item |
384 | A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks. | |
385 | ||
c05524ad RS |
386 | @item |
387 | A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs. | |
0f82d9d8 RS |
388 | |
389 | @item | |
390 | Software for designing and printing business cards. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
391 | @end itemize |
392 | ||
6af1f598 | 393 | @node Network Projects, Encryption Projects, X Windows Projects, Top |
ab9ca9c7 JWI |
394 | @chapter Network Projects |
395 | ||
396 | @itemize @bullet | |
ab9ca9c7 JWI |
397 | @item |
398 | A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is, | |
399 | alas, not free software). | |
400 | ||
401 | @item | |
402 | A free ICQ-compatible server program. (The ICQ server itself is not | |
403 | free software.) | |
404 | @end itemize | |
405 | ||
6af1f598 | 406 | @node Encryption Projects, Other Projects, Network Projects, Top |
ca0afed9 | 407 | @chapter Encryption Projects |
bb5d4e1a | 408 | |
ca0afed9 RS |
409 | These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not |
410 | US citizens, to avoid problems with US export control law. | |
bb5d4e1a | 411 | |
d9e60f52 | 412 | @itemize @bullet |
c05524ad | 413 | @item |
ca0afed9 | 414 | A free library for public-key encryption. |
c05524ad | 415 | |
ca0afed9 | 416 | This library should use the Diffie-Helman algorithm for public key |
c05524ad | 417 | encryption, not the RSA algorithm, because the Diffie-Helman patent in |
fff05d88 RS |
418 | the US expired in 1997. This library can probably be developed from |
419 | the code for the GNU Privacy Guard (now in development). | |
7263f2f7 | 420 | |
dc32c4fa RS |
421 | @item |
422 | An implementation of SSLv3 (more precisely, TLSv1) which is patent-free | |
423 | (uses the non-RSA algorithms) and has distribution terms compatible with | |
424 | the GNU GPL. We know of a GPL-covered implemention of a version of SSL | |
425 | that you can use as a starting point. | |
426 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 427 | @item |
eee331a5 RS |
428 | Free software for doing secure commercial transactions on the web. |
429 | This too needs public key encryption. | |
ca0afed9 RS |
430 | @end itemize |
431 | ||
dc32c4fa RS |
432 | The projects to provide free replacements for PGP and SSH are no longer |
433 | listed here, because projects to do those jobs are well under way. | |
fff05d88 | 434 | |
6af1f598 | 435 | @node Other Projects, Languages, Encryption Projects, Top |
ca0afed9 | 436 | @chapter Other Projects |
bb5d4e1a | 437 | |
ca0afed9 | 438 | If you think of others that should be added, please |
fff05d88 | 439 | send them to @email{gnu@@gnu.org}. |
ca0afed9 RS |
440 | |
441 | @itemize @bullet | |
c6d6677e | 442 | @ignore OpenBIOS is doing this |
fff05d88 RS |
443 | @item |
444 | A simple PC BIOS. On most new PCs, the BIOS is stored in writable | |
445 | memory (misleadingly known as ``flash ROM''). In order to have a wholly | |
446 | free system on these PCs, we need a free BIOS. | |
447 | ||
448 | This task is made simpler by the fact that this BIOS need only support | |
449 | enough features to enable a boot-loader such as LILO or GRUB to finish | |
450 | loading the kernel. Neither Linux nor Mach actually uses the BIOS once | |
451 | it starts up. Also, it is not absolutely necessary to do all the many | |
452 | diagnostics that an ordinary BIOS does (though it would be useful to do | |
453 | some of them). However, there may be a need to configure certain data | |
454 | in the computer in a way that is specific to each model of computer. | |
c6d6677e | 455 | @end ignore |
fff05d88 | 456 | |
a47e454e | 457 | @item |
7c4978a8 RS |
458 | A free program that can transfer files on a serial line |
459 | using the same protocol that Kermit uses. | |
a47e454e | 460 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
461 | @item |
462 | An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher. | |
463 | ||
464 | @item | |
465 | An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!) | |
466 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 467 | @item |
c05524ad RS |
468 | A general ledger program, including support for accounts payable, |
469 | account receivables, payroll, inventory control, order processing, etc. | |
470 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 471 | @item |
fff05d88 RS |
472 | A free replacement for Glimpse, which is not free software. |
473 | ||
0f82d9d8 RS |
474 | @item |
475 | Software for desktop publishing. We are extending Emacs into a WYSIWYG | |
476 | word processor, to handle primarily linear text; what this item proposes | |
477 | is software focused on page layout. | |
478 | ||
283fd8a7 | 479 | @ignore It looks like TruePrint will fill this gap |
fff05d88 RS |
480 | @item |
481 | A program to typeset C code for printing, to make it easier to read on | |
482 | paper. For ideas on what to do, see the book, | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
483 | |
484 | @display | |
485 | Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs, | |
486 | Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus, | |
487 | Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7 | |
488 | @end display | |
489 | ||
fff05d88 | 490 | But you don't have to do exactly what they propose. |
283fd8a7 | 491 | @end ignore |
bb5d4e1a | 492 | |
0f82d9d8 RS |
493 | @item |
494 | A program to reformat HTML source to make it easier to read as HTML. | |
495 | ||
fff05d88 RS |
496 | @ignore |
497 | @c This is now being worked on -- rms, 22 June 1998 | |
7c4978a8 | 498 | @item |
541d49e1 JG |
499 | A program to convert Microsoft Word documents to text/enriched, TeX, |
500 | LaTeX, Texinfo, or some other format that free software can edit. | |
fff05d88 RS |
501 | @end ignore |
502 | ||
503 | @ignore | |
504 | @c People are helping the developer of siff release it as free software. | |
7c4978a8 | 505 | |
fff05d88 | 506 | @item |
50b9d07d | 507 | A free replacement for siff (sometimes called sif). This would be a |
fff05d88 RS |
508 | program to find similar files in a large file system, ``similar'' |
509 | meaning that the files contain a significant number of common substrings | |
510 | that are of a certain size or greater. You can find some information | |
511 | about siff (which is, unfortunately, not free software) at | |
512 | @uref{ftp://ftp.cs.arizona.edu/reports/1993/TR93-33.ps.Z}. | |
513 | @end ignore | |
514 | ||
515 | @ignore | |
516 | @c This is being developed -- rms, 3 May 1998 | |
7c4978a8 RS |
517 | @item |
518 | A free replacement for the semi-free Qt library. | |
fff05d88 | 519 | @end ignore |
7c4978a8 | 520 | |
ca0afed9 RS |
521 | @item |
522 | High-quality music compression software. | |
fff05d88 | 523 | (Talk with @email{phr@@netcom.com} for relevant suggestions.) |
c6d6677e RS |
524 | Unfortunately we cannot implement the popular MP3 format |
525 | due to patents, so this job includes working out some other | |
526 | non-patented format and compression method. | |
ca0afed9 RS |
527 | |
528 | @item | |
529 | A program to play sound distributed in ``Real Audio'' format. | |
530 | ||
531 | @item | |
532 | A program to generate ``Real Audio'' format from audio input. | |
533 | ||
fff05d88 RS |
534 | @item |
535 | Programs to handle audio in RTSP format. | |
536 | ||
632c6364 | 537 | @ignore @c Software patents have made this domain off limits to free software. |
ca0afed9 RS |
538 | @item |
539 | An MPEG III audio encoder/decoder (but it is necessary to check, first, | |
540 | whether patents make this impossible). | |
541 | ||
ab9ca9c7 | 542 | @c Chris Hofstader is working on this. |
bb5d4e1a RS |
543 | @item |
544 | Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you | |
545 | could improve). | |
546 | ||
ab9ca9c7 | 547 | @c We have a project now. |
bb5d4e1a | 548 | @item |
948c942f | 549 | Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech is sufficient). |
ab9ca9c7 | 550 | @end ignore |
948c942f | 551 | |
1c5d31a7 JWI |
552 | @item |
553 | A braille translation and formatting system which can convert marked up | |
554 | documents into braille. This should let the user customize the braille | |
555 | translation rules; it would be good to divide it into a | |
556 | device-independent part plus drivers. Contact Jason White, | |
0fd51ae1 | 557 | @email{jasonw@@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU}. |
1c5d31a7 | 558 | |
fff05d88 RS |
559 | @ignore Being done |
560 | @item | |
561 | A program to display text word by word, always showing just one word at | |
562 | a time. This method permits much faster reading than ordinary text | |
563 | display. If you want to work on this, contact @email{stutz@@dsl.org} to | |
564 | learn more. | |
565 | @end ignore | |
566 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 567 | @item |
b6a061a8 RS |
568 | More scientific mathematical subroutines. |
569 | (A clone of SPSS is being written already.) | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
570 | |
571 | @item | |
572 | Statistical tools. | |
573 | ||
eee331a5 RS |
574 | @item |
575 | A scientific data collection and processing tool, | |
576 | perhaps something like Scientific Workbench and/or Khoros, | |
577 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
578 | @item |
579 | Software to replace card catalogues in libraries. | |
580 | ||
d2c1d7a8 KH |
581 | @item |
582 | A package for editing genealogical records conveniently. | |
583 | This could perhaps be done as a Gnome program, or perhaps | |
584 | as an Emacs extentsion. | |
585 | ||
ca0afed9 RS |
586 | @item |
587 | A project-scheduling package that accepts a list of project sub-tasks | |
588 | with their interdependencies, and generates Gantt charts and Pert charts | |
589 | and all the other standard project progress reports. | |
590 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
591 | @item |
592 | Grammar and style checking programs. | |
593 | ||
eee331a5 | 594 | @item |
ac01a1c0 RS |
595 | A fast emulator for the i386, which would make it possible |
596 | to emulate x86 code on other CPUs, and also to more easily | |
597 | debug kernels such as Linux more conveniently. | |
598 | ||
599 | To make this faster, it could work by translating machine instructions | |
600 | into the machine language of the host machine. | |
eee331a5 | 601 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
602 | @item |
603 | Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for | |
604 | scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well | |
261597d4 | 605 | as character codes. Work is being done on this, but more help is needed. |
5aba97f2 | 606 | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
607 | @item |
608 | A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript. | |
609 | ||
610 | @item | |
611 | A program to recognize handwriting. | |
612 | ||
613 | @item | |
614 | A pen based interface. | |
615 | ||
bb5d4e1a RS |
616 | @item |
617 | CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad. | |
ca0afed9 RS |
618 | |
619 | @item | |
620 | A program to receive data from a serial-line tap to facilitate the | |
621 | reverse-engineering of communication protocols. | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
622 | @end itemize |
623 | ||
6af1f598 | 624 | @node Languages, Games and Recreations, Other Projects, Top |
0f82d9d8 | 625 | @chapter Programming Languages |
bb5d4e1a | 626 | |
d9e60f52 | 627 | Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as |
0b2a408e RS |
628 | Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, Cobol, Fortran 90, Delphi, Modula 2, Modula 3, |
629 | and any other languages designed for compilation, to be used with the | |
630 | code generation phases of the GNU C compiler. | |
2eebaacd | 631 | |
fff05d88 | 632 | @c Fortran status is here so gnu@gnu.org and the volunteer coordinators |
cab856b0 | 633 | @c don't have to answer the question -len |
2eebaacd | 634 | You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command: |
cab856b0 | 635 | |
2eebaacd | 636 | @example |
fff05d88 | 637 | finger -l fortran@@gnu.org |
cab856b0 | 638 | @end example |
bb5d4e1a | 639 | |
0f82d9d8 | 640 | We would like to have translators from various languages into Scheme. |
dc32c4fa | 641 | These languages include TCL, Python, Perl, Java, Javascript, and Rexx. |
0f82d9d8 RS |
642 | |
643 | We would like to have an implementation of Clipper, perhaps a GCC front | |
644 | end, and perhaps a translator into Scheme. | |
645 | ||
6af1f598 | 646 | @node Games and Recreations, , Languages, Top |
d6eb79ad | 647 | @chapter Games and Recreations |
bb5d4e1a | 648 | |
c05524ad RS |
649 | Video-oriented games that work with the X window system. |
650 | ||
d9e60f52 | 651 | @itemize @bullet |
bb5d4e1a RS |
652 | @item |
653 | Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading) | |
654 | ||
2eebaacd RS |
655 | @item |
656 | An ``empire builder'' system that makes it easy to write various kinds of | |
657 | simulation games. | |
658 | ||
c05524ad RS |
659 | @item |
660 | Improve GnuGo, which is not yet very sophisticated. | |
661 | ||
0f82d9d8 RS |
662 | @item |
663 | Network servers and clients for board and card games for which such | |
664 | software does not yet exist. | |
665 | ||
bb5d4e1a | 666 | @item |
fff05d88 RS |
667 | A Hierarchical Task Network package which can be used |
668 | to program play the computer's side in various strategic games. | |
669 | ||
670 | @item | |
671 | Write imitations of some popular video games: | |
bb5d4e1a | 672 | |
d9e60f52 | 673 | @itemize - |
bb5d4e1a RS |
674 | @item |
675 | Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns. | |
676 | @item | |
677 | Defending cities from missiles. | |
678 | @item | |
2eebaacd | 679 | Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc. |
bb5d4e1a | 680 | @item |
fff05d88 | 681 | Wizard fights fanciful monsters. |
bb5d4e1a RS |
682 | @item |
683 | A golf game. | |
fff05d88 | 684 | @ignore Being done by jhall1@isd.net |
bb5d4e1a RS |
685 | @item |
686 | Program a robot by sticking building blocks together, | |
687 | then watch it explore a world. | |
fff05d88 | 688 | @end ignore |
bb5d4e1a | 689 | @item |
7c4978a8 RS |
690 | Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American and @cite{The Blind |
691 | Watchmaker}). | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
692 | @item |
693 | A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds. | |
694 | @end itemize | |
bb5d4e1a RS |
695 | @end itemize |
696 | ||
697 | We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}. | |
698 | ||
699 | @contents | |
700 | ||
701 | @bye | |
fff05d88 RS |
702 | Local variables: |
703 | update-date-leading-regexp: "@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:\n@set lastupdate " | |
704 | update-date-trailing-regexp: "" | |
705 | eval: (load "/gd/gnuorg/update-date.el") | |
706 | eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'update-date) | |
707 | End: |