1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
3 @setfilename tasks.info
4 @settitle GNU Task List
5 @c UPDATE THIS DATE WHENEVER YOU MAKE CHANGES!
6 @set lastupdate 16 September 1997
13 @author Free Software Foundation
14 @author last updated @value{lastupdate}
18 @node Top, Intro, (dir), (dir)
21 This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
22 last updated on @value{lastupdate}.
29 * Unix-Related Projects::
32 * X Windows Projects::
33 * Encryption Projects::
36 * Games and Recreations::
40 @chapter About the GNU Task List
42 If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and
43 recently, please check for a newer version. You can ftp the task list
44 from any GNU FTP host in directory @file{/pub/gnu/tasks/}. The task
45 list is available there in several different formats: @file{tasks.text},
46 @file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and @file{tasks.dvi}. The GNU
47 HURD task list is also there in file @file{tasks.hurd}.
48 @c to fix an overfill, join the paragraphs -len
49 The task list is also available on the GNU World Wide Web server:
50 @url{http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/prep/tasks_toc.html}.
52 If you start working steadily on a project, please let @code{gnu@@prep}
53 know. We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to
54 send you the GNU coding standards.
56 Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write programming
57 tools or programming languages, we have a comparative shortage of
58 applications useful for non-programmer users. Therefore, we ask you to
59 consider writing such a program.
61 Typically, a new program that does a completely new job advances
62 the GNU project, and the free software community, more than an
63 improvement to an existing program.
65 Typically, new features or new programs advance the free software
66 community more, in the long run, than porting existing programs. One
67 reason is that portable new features and programs benefit people on many
68 platforms, not just one. At the same time, there tend to be many
69 volunteers for porting---so your help will be more valuable in other
70 areas, where volunteers are more scarce.
72 Typically, it is more useful to extend a program in functionality than
73 to improve performance. Users who use the new functionality will
74 appreciate it very much, if they use it; but even when they benefit from
75 a performance improvement, they may not consider it very important.
77 @node Highest Priority
78 @chapter Highest Priority
80 This task list mentions a large number of tasks that would be more or
81 less useful. With luck, at least one of them will inspire you to start
82 writing. It's better for you to work on any task that inspires you than
83 not write free software at all.
85 But if you would like to work on what we need most, here is a list of
86 high priority projects.
90 If you are good at writing documentation, please do that.
93 If you are very good at C programming and interested in kernels, you can
94 help develop the GNU HURD, the kernel for the GNU system. Please have a
95 look at @url{http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/software/hurd/hurd.html}, and
96 then get a copy of the latest HURD task list from:
101 @url{http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu/prep/tasks.hurd.html}, via the World Wide
105 @url{ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/tasks/tasks.hurd}, via anonymous FTP.
108 @email{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu} via e-mail.
113 If you are a Scheme fan, you can help develop Guile. Please have a look
114 at the URL @url{http://www.gnu.ai.mit.edu:/software/guile/guile.html}
115 and then contact @email{guile@@gnu.ai.mit.edu}.
118 Help develop the GNU web browser, E-scape.
121 Help develop Windows NT emulation for GNU systems---for example, WINE.
124 Implement the Kermit data transfer protocol. (See below.)
127 Develop a free compatible replacement for Qt, a GUI toolkit library. Qt
128 is not free software, because users are prohibited from distributing
129 modified versions. Thus, Qt cannot be included in a free operating
130 system (adding it would make the system as a whole non-free).
132 But some developers are writing free applications that use Qt and cannot
133 run without it. These programs, although free software, are useless for
134 free operating systems because there is no way to make them run.
136 This is leading to a serious problem, and a free replacement for Qt is
137 the only solution. Hence the high degree of urgency of this project.
140 Develop a substitute, which runs on GNU systems, for some very popular
141 or very important application that many non-programmers use on Windows,
142 and which has no comparable free equivalent now.
146 @chapter Documentation
148 We very urgently need documentation for some parts of the system
149 that already exist or will exist very soon:
153 A C reference manual. (RMS made a try at one, which you could start
157 A manual for Ghostscript.
163 A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).
169 A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions
170 are written as they are.
173 A manual for programming X-window applications.
176 Manuals for various X window managers.
179 Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C
180 Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library.
183 Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep} and others.
186 @node Unix-Related Projects
187 @chapter Unix-Related Projects
191 An improved version of the POSIX utility @code{pax}. There is one on
192 Usenet, but it is said to be poorly written. Talk with
193 @code{thomas@@gnu.ai.mit.edu} about this project.
197 Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
202 A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}.
205 Various other libraries.
208 An emulation of SCCS that works using RCS.
211 Less urgent: @code{diction}, @code{explain}, and @code{style}, or
212 something to do the same kind of job. Compatibility with Unix is not
213 especially important for these programs.
216 @node Kernel Projects
217 @chapter Kernel-Related Projects
221 An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be
222 debugged from GDB running on another machine.
224 This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols
225 to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement
226 all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those
227 processes. If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is
228 impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol
229 based directly on ethernet. It's not crucial to support high speed or
230 communicating across gateways.
232 It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would
236 A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable. The
237 machine specific parts should be kept well separated.
240 An implementation of CIFS, the ``Common Internet File System,'' for the
241 HURD. This protocol is an offshoot of SMB.
245 @chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
249 Enhance GCC. See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC
253 Interface GDB to Guile, so that users can write debugging commands in
254 Scheme. This would also make it possible to write, in Scheme, a
255 graphical interface that uses Tk and is tightly integrated into GDB.
258 Rewrite GNU @code{sed} completely, to make it cleaner.
261 Rewrite Automake and Deja-GNU in Scheme, so they can run in Guile.
262 Right now they are written in Perl and TCL, respectively. There are
263 also other programs, not terribly long, which we would also like
264 to have rewritten in Scheme.
267 Finish the partially-implemented C interpreter project.
270 Help with the development of GNUStep, a GNU implementation of the
271 OpenStep specification.
274 Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
275 was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
279 Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
280 files without reading entire files into core.
283 An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
286 A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
287 destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
288 to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to
289 @code{tron@@veritas.com} about this.
291 Smail also needs a new chief maintainer.
294 Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools. (We now have something at
295 about the level of @code{cxref}.) We also could use something like
296 @code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.)
299 @node X Windows Projects
300 @chapter X Windows Projects
304 An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
307 A music playing and editing system. This should work with LilyPond, a
308 free program for music typesetting.
311 A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
312 dancers moving on the screen.
315 Port the Vibrant toolkit to work on X without using Motif.
318 A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
321 A paint program, supporting both bitmap-oriented operations and
322 component-oriented operations. @code{xpaint} exists, but isn't very
326 A vector-based drawing program in the spirit of Adobe Illustrator
330 An interactive 3D modeling utility with rendering/raytracing capabilities.
333 A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
336 @node Encryption Projects
337 @chapter Encryption Projects
339 These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not
340 US citizens, to avoid problems with US export control law.
344 A free library for public-key encryption.
346 This library should use the Diffie-Helman algorithm for public key
347 encryption, not the RSA algorithm, because the Diffie-Helman patent in
348 the US will expire in 1997.
351 A free program for sended encrypted mail using public-key encryption.
353 This program should use the library described above for the public-key
354 encryption. It should use triple-DES, not IDEA, for block encryption,
355 because IDEA is patented in many countries and the patents will not
358 In other respects, it should be like PGP. If the new version of PGP
359 no longer uses RSA and IDEA, compatibility with it may be feasible.
361 There is a suggestion that the Blowfish algorithm might be a good choice
362 for the non-public-key block encryption. I'm not an encryption expert
363 so I don't have an opinion about that.
365 Many people believe that PGP is free software, but that is not actually
366 true. The distribution terms do not allow everyone to use and
367 redistribute it. We used to think that these restrictions had been
368 imposed by the patent holders for the RSA and IDEA algorithms, and that
369 PGP could be free software if these algorithms were replaced by
370 alternatives. But we have since learned that the owners of PGP are
371 themselves unwilling to make it free software. Writing a new program is
372 the only way to get free software for this job.
375 A free secure telnet program more or less like ssh/sshd. Since this
376 requires a public key encryption algorithm, it is closely related to the
379 This program should follow the draft standard for ssh. As always, it
380 cannot implement the RSA algorithm, but must instead support the
381 alternatives that will be patent-free in late 1997. It cannot support
382 IDEA, but can use triple-DES and/or Blowfish or other non-patented
386 Free software for doing secure commercial transactions on the web.
387 This too needs public key encryption.
391 @chapter Other Projects
393 If you think of others that should be added, please
394 send them to @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
398 A free program that can transfer files on a serial line
399 using the same protocol that Kermit uses.
402 An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
405 An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
408 A bulletin board system. There are a few free ones, but they don't have
409 all the features that people want in such systems. It would make sense
410 to start with an existing one and add the other features.
413 A general ledger program, including support for accounts payable,
414 account receivables, payroll, inventory control, order processing, etc.
417 A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
418 alas, not free software).
421 A program to typeset C code for printing.
422 For ideas on what to do, see the book,
425 Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
426 Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
427 Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
430 (I don't quite agree with a few of the details they propose.)
433 A program to convert Microsoft Word documents to text/enriched, TeX,
434 LaTeX, Texinfo, or some other format that free software can edit.
437 A free replacement for the semi-free Qt library.
440 High-quality music compression software.
441 (Talk with phr@@netcom.com for relevant suggestions.)
444 A program to play sound distributed in ``Real Audio'' format.
447 A program to generate ``Real Audio'' format from audio input.
449 @ignore @c Software patents have made this domain off limits to free software.
451 An MPEG III audio encoder/decoder (but it is necessary to check, first,
452 whether patents make this impossible).
456 Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
460 Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech is sufficient).
463 More scientific mathematical subroutines.
464 (A clone of SPSS is being written already.)
470 A scientific data collection and processing tool,
471 perhaps something like Scientific Workbench and/or Khoros,
474 Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
477 A project-scheduling package that accepts a list of project sub-tasks
478 with their interdependencies, and generates Gantt charts and Pert charts
479 and all the other standard project progress reports.
482 Grammar and style checking programs.
485 A translator from Scheme to C.
488 A fast emulator for the i386 which works by translating
489 machine instructions into the machine language of the host machine.
490 (Support for emulation of other machines would enhance the program
491 but might make it much more difficult.)
494 A map display or geographic information system.
497 Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
498 scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
499 as character codes. Work is being done on this, but more help is needed.
502 A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript.
505 A program to recognize handwriting.
508 A pen based interface.
511 CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
514 A program to receive data from a serial-line tap to facilitate the
515 reverse-engineering of communication protocols.
519 @chapter Compilers for Other Batch Languages
521 Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
522 Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, Cobol, Fortran 90, Eiffel, or whatever, to be
523 used with the code generation phases of the GNU C compiler.
525 @c Fortran status is here so gnu@prep and the volunteer coordinators
526 @c don't have to answer the question -len
527 You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command:
530 finger -l fortran@@gnu.ai.mit.edu
533 @node Games and Recreations
534 @chapter Games and Recreations
536 Video-oriented games that work with the X window system.
540 Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
543 An ``empire builder'' system that makes it easy to write various kinds of
547 Improve GnuGo, which is not yet very sophisticated.
550 Write imitations of some popular video game:
554 Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
556 Defending cities from missiles.
558 Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
560 Wizard fights fanciful monster.
564 Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
565 then watch it explore a world.
567 Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American and @cite{The Blind
570 A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds.
574 We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.