@setfilename tasks.info
@settitle GNU Task List
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
-@set lastupdate December 31, 1998
+@set lastupdate November 1, 1999
@c %**end of header
@setchapternewpage off
@top GNU Task List
This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
-last updated on @value{lastupdate}.
+last updated on @value{lastupdate}. See also
+@uref{http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html#helpgnu} for other suggested
+tasks.
@end ifinfo
@menu
-* Intro::
-* Highest Priority::
-* Documentation::
-* Unix-Related Projects::
-* Kernel Projects::
-* Extensions::
-* X Windows Projects::
-* Encryption Projects::
-* Other Projects::
-* Languages::
-* Games and Recreations::
+* Intro::
+* Highest Priority::
+* Documentation::
+* Unix-Related Projects::
+* Kernel Projects::
+* Extensions::
+* X Windows Projects::
+* Network Projects::
+* Encryption Projects::
+* Other Projects::
+* Languages::
+* Games and Recreations::
@end menu
-@node Intro
+@node Intro, Highest Priority, Top, Top
@chapter About the GNU Task List
If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and
appreciate it very much, if they use it; but even when they benefit from
a performance improvement, they may not consider it very important.
-@node Highest Priority
+@node Highest Priority, Documentation, Intro, Top
@chapter Highest Priority
This task list mentions a large number of tasks that would be more or
A package to convert programs written using MS Access into Scheme,
making use of a free data base system and the GTK toolkit.
+@ignore
@item
Help develop XmHTML. See @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~ripley/XmHTML/}.
+@end ignore
@item
Help develop software to emulate Windows NT on top of GNU systems.
For example, you could help work on Willows Twin.
See @uref{http://www.willows.com/}.
+@ignore The Kermit developers say they will provide a free program
+to do this.
@item
Implement the Kermit data transfer protocol. (See below.)
+@end ignore
@ignore This is being done (Harmony)
@item
and which has no comparable free equivalent now.
@end itemize
-@node Documentation
+@node Documentation, Unix-Related Projects, Highest Priority, Top
@chapter Documentation
We very urgently need documentation for many existing parts of the
We do not recommend any non-free materials as documentation.
@itemize @bullet
+@item
+A manual for libstdc++.
+
@item
A unified manual for La@TeX{}. (Existing documentation is non-free.)
@item
-A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander.
+A manual for Docbook SGML format.
@item
-A manual for GNU SQL.
+A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander.
@item
A thorough manual for RCS.
@item
A manual for writing Hurd servers.
+@item
+A manual for GNU sed.
+
@item
Reference manuals for C++, Objective C, Pascal, Fortran 77, and Java.
@item
A tutorial manual for the C++ STL (standard template library).
+@item
+A tutorial manual for Gforth.
+
@item
GNU Objective-C Runtime Library Manual; this would be a reference manual
for the runtime library functions, structures, and classes. Some work
Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep} and others.
@end itemize
-@node Unix-Related Projects
+@node Unix-Related Projects, Kernel Projects, Documentation, Top
@chapter Unix-Related Projects
@itemize @bullet
@code{bc}.
@end ignore
-@item
-A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}.
-
@item
Less urgent: make a replacement for the ``writer's workbench'' program
@code{style}, or something to do the same kind of job. Compatibility
-with Unix is not especially important for this programs.
+with Unix is not especially important for this program.
@end itemize
-@node Kernel Projects
+@node Kernel Projects, Extensions, Unix-Related Projects, Top
@chapter Kernel-Related Projects
@itemize @bullet
@item
An implementation of CIFS, the ``Common Internet File System,'' for the
HURD. This protocol is an offshoot of SMB.
+
+@item
+Support (in Linux?) for dumping the non-textual contents of an SVGA
+console.
@end itemize
-@node Extensions
+@node Extensions, X Windows Projects, Kernel Projects, Top
@chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
@itemize @bullet
@item
An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
-@item
-An implementation of XML (see @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/}).
-
@item
A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
@code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.)
@end itemize
-@node X Windows Projects
+@node X Windows Projects, Network Projects, Extensions, Top
@chapter X Windows Projects
@itemize @bullet
@item
An ear-training program for students of music.
+@ignore @c GNUskies should do this
@item
An ephemeris program to replace xephem (which is, alas, too restricted
to qualify as free software).
+@end ignore
@item
A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
@item
A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
+@item
+A two-dimensional outliner program, which lets you draw
+graph structures of textual items, and then display them
+in various ways.
+
@item
A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
Software for designing and printing business cards.
@end itemize
-@node Encryption Projects
+@node Network Projects, Encryption Projects, X Windows Projects, Top
+@chapter Network Projects
+
+@itemize @bullet
+@ignore
+@c www.openh323.org is doing this. Craig Southeren <craigs@equival.com.au>
+@item
+A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
+alas, not free software).
+@end ignore
+
+@ignore
+@c Bishop Bettini <bishop@synxcti.com> is working on this.
+@item
+A free ICQ-compatible server program. (The ICQ server itself is not
+free software.)
+@end ignore
+
+@end itemize
+
+@node Encryption Projects, Other Projects, Network Projects, Top
@chapter Encryption Projects
These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not
The projects to provide free replacements for PGP and SSH are no longer
listed here, because projects to do those jobs are well under way.
-@node Other Projects
+@node Other Projects, Languages, Encryption Projects, Top
@chapter Other Projects
If you think of others that should be added, please
send them to @email{gnu@@gnu.org}.
@itemize @bullet
+@ignore OpenBIOS is doing this
@item
A simple PC BIOS. On most new PCs, the BIOS is stored in writable
memory (misleadingly known as ``flash ROM''). In order to have a wholly
diagnostics that an ordinary BIOS does (though it would be useful to do
some of them). However, there may be a need to configure certain data
in the computer in a way that is specific to each model of computer.
+@end ignore
+@ignore Frank Cruz promises a free version
@item
A free program that can transfer files on a serial line
using the same protocol that Kermit uses.
+@end ignore
@item
An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
@item
-An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
+An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3}. (How dbased!)
+@uref{http://www.startech.keller.tx.us/xbase/xbase.html} may contain
+some useful stuff to start with.
+@ignore @c being done by Jonas etc.
@item
A general ledger program, including support for accounts payable,
account receivables, payroll, inventory control, order processing, etc.
-
-@item
-A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
-alas, not free software).
-
-@item
-A free ICQ-compatible server program. (The ICQ server itself is not
-free software.)
+@end ignore
@item
A free replacement for Glimpse, which is not free software.
word processor, to handle primarily linear text; what this item proposes
is software focused on page layout.
+@ignore It looks like TruePrint will fill this gap
@item
A program to typeset C code for printing, to make it easier to read on
paper. For ideas on what to do, see the book,
@end display
But you don't have to do exactly what they propose.
-
-@item
-A program to reformat HTML source to make it easier to read as HTML.
+@end ignore
@ignore
@c This is now being worked on -- rms, 22 June 1998
@item
High-quality music compression software.
(Talk with @email{phr@@netcom.com} for relevant suggestions.)
+Unfortunately we cannot implement the popular MP3 format
+due to patents, so this job includes working out some other
+non-patented format and compression method.
@item
A program to play sound distributed in ``Real Audio'' format.
@item
An MPEG III audio encoder/decoder (but it is necessary to check, first,
whether patents make this impossible).
-@end ignore
+@c Chris Hofstader is working on this.
@item
Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
could improve).
+@c We have a project now.
@item
Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech is sufficient).
+@end ignore
+
+@item
+A braille translation and formatting system which can convert marked up
+documents into braille. This should let the user customize the braille
+translation rules; it would be good to divide it into a
+device-independent part plus drivers. Contact Jason White,
+@email{jasonw@@ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU}.
@ignore Being done
@item
A scientific data collection and processing tool,
perhaps something like Scientific Workbench and/or Khoros,
+@item
+A program to calculate properties of molecules by solving
+the Schroedinger equation.
+
@item
Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
+@item
+A simulator for heating and air conditioning systems for buildings.
+
@item
A package for editing genealogical records conveniently.
This could perhaps be done as a Gnome program, or perhaps
-as an Emacs extentsion.
+as an Emacs extension.
@item
A project-scheduling package that accepts a list of project sub-tasks
Grammar and style checking programs.
@item
-A program to calculate nutritional information from recipes.
-
-There is a free (unambiguously public domain) database of nutritional
-information compiled by the USDA at
-@url{http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp}.
+A diagnostic program to test a hard disk.
@item
-A fast emulator for the i386 which works by translating
-machine instructions into the machine language of the host machine.
-(Support for emulation of other machines would enhance the program
-but might make it much more difficult.)
+A fast emulator for the i386, which would make it possible
+to emulate x86 code on other CPUs, and also to more easily
+debug kernels such as Linux more conveniently.
+
+To make this faster, it could work by translating machine instructions
+into the machine language of the host machine.
@item
Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
reverse-engineering of communication protocols.
@end itemize
-@node Languages
+@node Languages, Games and Recreations, Other Projects, Top
@chapter Programming Languages
Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
-Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, Cobol, Fortran 90, or whatever, to be
-used with the code generation phases of the GNU C compiler.
+Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, Cobol, Fortran 90, Delphi, Modula 2, Modula 3,
+RPG, and any other languages designed for compilation, to be used with
+the code generation phases of the GNU C compiler.
@c Fortran status is here so gnu@gnu.org and the volunteer coordinators
@c don't have to answer the question -len
We would like to have an implementation of Clipper, perhaps a GCC front
end, and perhaps a translator into Scheme.
-@node Games and Recreations
+@node Games and Recreations, , Languages, Top
@chapter Games and Recreations
Video-oriented games that work with the X window system.
HCoop / bpt / emacs.git / blobdiff