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 22 November 1994
13 @author Free Software Foundation
14 @author last updated @value{lastupdate}
18 @node Top, Documentation, (dir), (dir)
21 This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
22 last updated on @value{lastupdate}.
25 Check with @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}, for a possibly more current copy.
26 This task list is not exclusive; any other useful program might be a
27 good project---but it might instead be something we already have, so
28 check with @code{gnu@@prep} before you start writing it.
32 * Unix-Related Projects::
35 * X Windows Projects::
38 * Games and Recreations::
41 If you start working steadily on a project, please let @code{gnu@@prep}
42 know. We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to
43 send you the GNU coding standards.
45 Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write
46 programming tools or programming languages, we have a comparative
47 shortage of applications useful for non-programmer users. Therefore,
48 we ask you to consider writing such a program.
50 In general, a new program that does a completely new job advances the
51 GNU project more than an improvement to an existing program.
54 @chapter Documentation
56 We very urgently need documentation for some parts of the system
57 that already exist or will exist very soon:
61 Completion of the documentation for CC-mode, a new C/C++ mode for
65 A C reference manual. (RMS has written half of one which you could
69 A manual for Ghostscript.
73 @c Ick, do we want to encourage using THAT? -djm
76 A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).
79 A manual for Perl. (The books that exist are not free, and
80 thus not available to be part of the GNU system.)
86 A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions
87 are written as they are.
90 A manual for programming X-window applications.
93 Manuals for various X window managers.
96 Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: Gawk, C
97 Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap and maybe the C Library.
100 Many utilities need documentation, including @code{grep}, @code{cpio},
101 and other small utilities.
104 @node Unix-Related Projects
105 @chapter Unix-Related Projects
109 We could use an emulation of Unix @code{spell}, which would run by
110 invoking @code{ispell}.
113 Less urgent: @code{diction}, @code{explain}, @code{style}.
116 An improved version of the POSIX utility @code{pax}. There is one on
117 the Usenet, but it is said to be poorly written. Talk with
118 @code{mib@@gnu.ai.mit.edu} about this project.
122 Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
127 A @code{grap} preprocessor program for @code{troff}.
130 Various other libraries.
133 An emulation of SCCS that works using RCS.
136 @node Kernel Projects
137 @chapter Kernel-Related Projects
141 An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be
142 debugged from GDB running on another machine.
144 This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols
145 to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement
146 all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those
147 processes. If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is
148 impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol
149 based directly on ethernet. It's not crucial to support high speed or
150 communicating across gateways.
152 It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would
156 A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable. The
157 machine specific parts should be kept well separated.
161 @chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
165 Enhance GCC. See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC
169 GNU @code{sed} probably needs to be rewritten completely just to make it
173 Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
174 was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
178 Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
179 files without reading entire files into core.
182 An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
185 A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
186 destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
187 to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to
188 @code{tron@@veritas.com} about this.
190 Smail also needs a new chief maintainer.
193 Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools. (We now have something at
194 about the level of @code{cxref}.) We also could use something like
195 @code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.)
198 @node X Windows Projects
199 @chapter X Windows Projects
203 An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
206 A music playing and editing system.
209 A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
210 dancers moving on the screen.
213 Port the Vibrant toolkit to work on X without using Motif.
216 A library for displaying circle-shaped menus with X windows.
219 A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
222 An interface-builder program to make it easy to design graphical
223 interfaces for applications. This could work with the dynamic linker
224 DLD and C++, loading in the same class definitions that will be used
225 by the application program.
228 A desktop program with icons and such, for X-windows.
231 A paint program, supporting both bitmap-oriented operations and
232 component-oriented operations. @code{xpaint} exists, but isn't very
236 A program for manipulating photographs---something vaguely like Photo
237 Shop (though not exactly like it).
241 @chapter Other Projects
243 If you think of others that should be added, please
244 send them to @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
248 [This seems to be being done:]
249 A program to convert Postscript to plain ASCII text. Ghostscript will
250 soon have a mode to output all the text strings in a document, each with
251 its coordinates. You could write a program to start with this output
252 and ``layout the page'' in ASCII. The program will be both easier and
253 more useful if you don't worry pedantically about how the output text
254 should be formatted. Instead, try to make it look reasonable as plain
258 A program to convert compiled programs represented in OSF ANDF
259 (``Architecture Neutral Distribution Format'') into ANSI C.
262 An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
265 An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
268 A program to reformat Fortran programs in a way that is pretty.
271 A bulletin board system. There are a few free ones, but they don't have
272 all the features that people want in such systems. It would make sense
273 to start with an existing one and add the other features.
276 A general ledger program.
279 A single command language that could be suitable for use in a shell, in
280 GDB for programming debugging commands, in a program like @code{awk}, in
281 a calculator like @code{bc}, and so on. The fact that all these
282 programs are similar but different in peculiar details is a great source
283 of confusion. We are stuck with maintaining compatibility with Unix in
284 our shell, @code{awk}, and @code{bc}, but nothing prevents us from
285 having alternative programs using our new, uniform language. This would
286 make GNU far better for new users. Talk with @code{lord@@cygnus.com} if
287 you are interested in this project.
290 A program to typeset C code for printing.
291 For ideas on what to do, see the forthcoming book,
294 Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
295 Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
296 Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
299 (I don't quite agree with a few of the details they propose.)
302 Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
306 Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech).
309 Scientific mathematical subroutines, including clones of SPSS.
315 Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
318 Grammar and style checking programs.
321 An implementation of the S language (an interpreted languages used for
325 A translator from Scheme to C.
328 Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
329 scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
330 as character codes. This may not be very difficult if you let it
331 @emph{train} on part of the individual document to be scanned, so as to
332 learn what fonts are in use in that document. We would particularly
333 like to scan the Century Dictionary, an unabridged dictionary now in the
336 You don't need scanning hardware to work on OCR. We can send you
337 bitmaps you can use as test data.
339 We may soon have an OCR program, but it will need lots of additional work.
342 A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript.
345 A program to recognize handwriting.
348 A pen based interface.
351 Software suitable for creating virtual reality user interfaces.
354 CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
357 Software for displaying molecules.
360 Software for comparing DNA sequences, and finding matches and
365 @chapter Compilers for Other Batch Languages
367 Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
368 Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, or whatever, to be used with the code
369 generation phases of the GNU C compiler. (C++ and Objective C are done,
370 and Ada, Fortran, Pascal and Modula are being worked on.
371 @c Fortran status is here so gnu@prep and the volunteer coordinators
372 @c don't have to answer the question -len
373 The status of the Fortran compiler can be found by:
376 @code{finger -l fortran@@gnu.ai.mit.edu})
379 @node Games and Recreations
380 @chapter Games and Recreations
384 Video-oriented games should work with the X window system.
387 Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
390 Imitations of popular video games:
394 Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
396 Defending cities from missiles.
398 Plane shoots at lots of other planes.
400 Wizard fights fanciful monster.
404 Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
405 then watch it explore a world.
407 Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American).
409 A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds.
413 Intriguing screen-saver programs to make interesting pictures.
414 Other such programs that are simply entertaining to watch.
415 For example, an aquarium.
418 We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.