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 6 April 1995
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 Work on the partially-implemented C interpreter project.
176 Help with the development of GNUStep, a GNU implementation of the
177 OpenStep specification.
180 Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
181 was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
185 Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
186 files without reading entire files into core.
189 An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
192 A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
193 destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
194 to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to
195 @code{tron@@veritas.com} about this.
197 Smail also needs a new chief maintainer.
200 Enhanced cross-reference browsing tools. (We now have something at
201 about the level of @code{cxref}.) We also could use something like
202 @code{ctrace}. (Some people are now working on this project.)
205 @node X Windows Projects
206 @chapter X Windows Projects
210 An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
213 A music playing and editing system.
216 A "disk jockey" program to keep track of a collection of recorded music
217 samples (songs, etc), and queue up a sequence of them for playing. This
218 program could use rplay to do the actual playing.
221 A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
222 dancers moving on the screen.
225 Port the Vibrant toolkit to work on X without using Motif.
228 A widget for displaying circle-shaped menus ("pie menus") with X
232 A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
235 An interface-builder program to make it easy to design graphical
236 interfaces for applications. This could work with the dynamic linker
237 DLD and C++, loading in the same class definitions that will be used
238 by the application program.
241 A "desktop" program with drag-and-drop icons and such.
244 A paint program, supporting both bitmap-oriented operations and
245 component-oriented operations. @code{xpaint} exists, but isn't very
249 A program for manipulating photographs---something vaguely like Photo
250 Shop (though not exactly like it).
254 @chapter Other Projects
256 If you think of others that should be added, please
257 send them to @code{gnu@@prep.ai.mit.edu}.
261 [This seems to be being done:]
262 A program to convert Postscript to plain ASCII text. Ghostscript will
263 soon have a mode to output all the text strings in a document, each with
264 its coordinates. You could write a program to start with this output
265 and ``layout the page'' in ASCII. The program will be both easier and
266 more useful if you don't worry pedantically about how the output text
267 should be formatted. Instead, try to make it look reasonable as plain
271 A program to convert compiled programs represented in OSF ANDF
272 (``Architecture Neutral Distribution Format'') into ANSI C.
275 An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
278 An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3} (How dbased!)
281 A program to reformat Fortran programs in a way that is pretty.
284 A bulletin board system. There are a few free ones, but they don't have
285 all the features that people want in such systems. It would make sense
286 to start with an existing one and add the other features.
289 A general ledger program.
292 A program to typeset C code for printing.
293 For ideas on what to do, see the forthcoming book,
296 Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
297 Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
298 Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
301 (I don't quite agree with a few of the details they propose.)
304 Speech-generation programs (there is a program from Brown U that you
308 Speech-recognition programs (single-speaker, disconnected speech).
311 Scientific mathematical subroutines, including clones of SPSS.
317 Software to replace card catalogues in libraries.
320 Grammar and style checking programs.
323 An implementation of the S language (an interpreted languages used for
327 A translator from Scheme to C.
330 Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
331 scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
332 as character codes. This may not be very difficult if you let it
333 @emph{train} on part of the individual document to be scanned, so as to
334 learn what fonts are in use in that document. We would particularly
335 like to scan the Century Dictionary, an unabridged dictionary now in the
338 You don't need scanning hardware to work on OCR. We can send you
339 bitmaps you can use as test data.
341 We may soon have an OCR program, but it will need lots of additional work.
344 A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to Postscript.
347 A program to recognize handwriting.
350 A pen based interface.
353 Software suitable for creating virtual reality user interfaces.
356 CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
359 Software for displaying molecules.
362 Software for comparing DNA sequences, and finding matches and
367 @chapter Compilers for Other Batch Languages
369 Volunteers are needed to write parsers/front ends for languages such as
370 Algol 60, Algol 68, PL/I, or whatever, to be used with the code
371 generation phases of the GNU C compiler. (C++ and Objective C are done,
372 Fortran is now in beta test, and Ada and Pascal are being worked on.
374 @c Fortran status is here so gnu@prep and the volunteer coordinators
375 @c don't have to answer the question -len
376 You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command:
379 finger -l fortran@@gnu.ai.mit.edu
382 @node Games and Recreations
383 @chapter Games and Recreations
387 Video-oriented games should work with the X window system.
390 Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
393 An ``empire builder'' system that makes it easy to write various kinds of
397 Imitations of popular video games:
401 Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
403 Defending cities from missiles.
405 Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
407 Wizard fights fanciful monster.
411 Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
412 then watch it explore a world.
414 Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American).
416 A program to display effects of moving at relativistic speeds.
420 Intriguing screen-saver programs to make interesting pictures.
421 Other such programs that are simply entertaining to watch.
422 For example, an aquarium.
425 We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.