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961 lines
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961 lines
29 KiB
Plaintext
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@c %**start of header
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@setfilename tasks.info
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@settitle GNU Task List
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@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
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@set lastupdate October 24, 2002
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@c %**end of header
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@c On behalf of the Volunteer Coordinators, I humbly request that anyone
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@c who adds an entry to this file please add a pointer to some more info
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@c about that project. People ask us (gvc@gnu.org) for more information
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@c about these projects and it's embarrassing to ask around and find out
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@c that nobody remembers what the project was supposed to be, or do.
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@c We don't need a huge elaborate ISO-9001 document, just a couple of
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@c paragraphs or a URL or something that explains what the e.g. ``stalker''
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@c project should do. It will save us all time in the future.
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@c Thanks, toby@gnu.org
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@c April 27, 2002
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@dircategory GNU organization
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@direntry
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* Tasks: (tasks). GNU task list.
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@end direntry
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@setchapternewpage off
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@copying
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The GNU task list, last updated @value{lastupdate}.
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Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
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1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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@quotation
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Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
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are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
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notice and this notice are preserved.
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@end quotation
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@end copying
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@titlepage
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@title GNU Task List
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@author Free Software Foundation
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@author last updated @value{lastupdate}
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@page
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@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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@insertcopying
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@end titlepage
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top, Intro, (dir), (dir)
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@top GNU Task List
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@insertcopying
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See also
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@uref{http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html#helpgnu} for other suggested tasks.
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@end ifnottex
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@menu
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* Intro::
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* Highest Priority::
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* Documentation::
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* Unix-Related Projects::
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* Kernel Projects::
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* Extensions::
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* Java Projects::
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* X Windows Projects::
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* Network Projects::
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* Encryption Projects::
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* Other Projects::
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* Languages::
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* Education::
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* Games and Recreations::
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@end menu
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@node Intro, Highest Priority, Top, Top
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@chapter About the GNU Task List
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If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and
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recently, please check for a newer version. You can ftp the task list
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from any GNU FTP host in directory @file{/pub/gnu/tasks/}. The task
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list is available there in several different formats: @file{tasks.text},
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@file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and @file{tasks.dvi}.
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@c to fix an overfill, join the paragraphs -len
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The task list is also available on the GNU World Wide Web server:
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@uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks_toc.html}.
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If you start working steadily on a project, please let @email{gvc@@gnu.org}
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know. We might have information that could help you; we'd also like to
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send you the GNU coding standards.
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Because of the natural tendency for most volunteers to write programming
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tools or programming languages, we have a comparative shortage of
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applications useful for non-programmer users. Therefore, we ask you to
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consider writing such a program.
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Typically, a new program that does a completely new job advances
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the GNU project, and the free software community, more than an
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improvement to an existing program.
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Typically, new features or new programs advance the free software
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community more, in the long run, than porting existing programs. One
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reason is that portable new features and programs benefit people on many
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platforms, not just one. At the same time, there tend to be many
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volunteers for porting---so your help will be more valuable in other
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areas, where volunteers are more scarce.
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Typically, it is more useful to extend a program in functionality than
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to improve performance. Users who use the new functionality will
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appreciate it very much, if they use it; but even when they benefit from
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a performance improvement, they may not consider it very important.
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Finally, if you think of an important job that free software cannot
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solve yet that is typically solved by proprietary software, please send
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a short description of that job to @email{tasks@@gnu.org} so that we can
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add it to this task list.
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@node Highest Priority, Documentation, Intro, Top
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@chapter Highest Priority
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This task list mentions a large number of tasks that would be more or
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less useful. With luck, at least one of them will inspire you to start
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writing. It's better for you to work on any task that inspires you than
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not write free software at all.
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But if you would like to work on what we need most, here is a list of
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high priority projects.
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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If you are good at writing documentation, please do that. Pick a system
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or program you like, and write a Free tutorial or manual for it.
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@item
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Help to finish the missing features of the @command{docbook2texi} so
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that as many Docbook tags as possible can be translated into reasonable
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Texinfo. See @uref{http://docbook2x.sourceforge.net/todo.html} for a
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task list of what needs to be done.
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@item
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If you are very good at C programming and interested in kernels, you
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can help develop the GNU HURD, the kernel for the GNU system. Please
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have a look at @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html}, and
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then join the HURD mailing lists at
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@uref{http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-contact}.
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@item
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If you are a Scheme fan, you can help develop Guile. Please have a look
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at the URL @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/guile.html}
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and then contact the Guile developers at @email{guile-devel@@gnu.org}.
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@item
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Improve the facilities for translating other languages into Scheme,
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so that Guile can provide support for a variety of languages.
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@item
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A package to convert programs written using MS Access into Scheme,
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making use of a free data base system and the GTK toolkit.
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@item
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A general-purpose document viewing program that can handle PostScript,
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DVI, PDF, HTML, RTF, Word format and Word Perfect format.
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@item
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Help develop software to emulate Windows NT on top of GNU systems.
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For example, you could help work on Wine.
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See @uref{http://www.winehq.org/}.
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@ignore
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@c panda is a PDF generator library released under the GPL
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@c http://www.stillhq.com/cgi-bin/getpage?area=panda&page=index.htm
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@item
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A free replacement for pdflib. This is a library for generating PDF.
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@end ignore
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@item
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Add gettext support to GNU programs that don't have it already. (Please
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contact the developers of the specific packages that you want to work
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on.)
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@item
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Develop a substitute, which runs on GNU systems, for some very popular
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or very important application that many non-programmers use on Windows,
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and which has no comparable free equivalent now.
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@end itemize
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@node Documentation, Unix-Related Projects, Highest Priority, Top
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@chapter Documentation
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We very urgently need documentation for many existing parts of the
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system.
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Note that there are proprietary manuals for many of these topics, but
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proprietary manuals do not count, for the same reason proprietary
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software does not count: we are not free to copy and modify them.
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We do not recommend any non-free materials as documentation.
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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A reference document for SQL for use as a standard for implementors of
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free software versions of SQL.
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@item
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A manual for libstdc++.
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@ignore
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@c the Indian TeX Users Group has completed a freely distributable version of a LaTex manual - http://www.tug.org.in/tutorials.html
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@item
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A unified manual for La@TeX{}. (Existing documentation is non-free.)
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@end ignore
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@ignore
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@c docbook definitive guide http://www.docbook.org/tdg/en/html/ is now FDL
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@item
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A manual for Docbook SGML format.
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@end ignore
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@item
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A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander.
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@item
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A thorough manual for RCS.
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@item
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A reference manual for Mach.
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@item
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A reference manual for the GNU Hurd features in GNU libc.
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@item
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A manual for writing Hurd servers.
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@ignore
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@c this is done.
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@item
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A manual for GNU sed.
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@end ignore
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@item
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Reference manuals for C++, Objective C, Pascal, Fortran 77, and Java.
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@item
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A tutorial manual for the C++ STL (standard template library).
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@item
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A tutorial manual for Gforth.
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@item
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GNU Objective-C Runtime Library Manual; this would be a reference manual
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for the runtime library functions, structures, and classes. Some work
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has been done on this job.
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@item
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Manuals for GNUstep: developer tutorial, developer programming manual,
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developer reference manual, and user manual.
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@item
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A manual for Ghostscript.
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@item
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A manual for TCSH.
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@item
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A coherent free reference manual for Perl. Most of the Perl on-line
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reference documentation can be used as a starting point, but work is
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needed to weld them together into a coherent manual.
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@c Bradley M. Kuhn is working on this. <bkuhn@gnu.org> Refer volunteers to
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@c him.
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@item
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A good free Perl language tutorial introduction. The existing Perl
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introductions are published with restrictions on copying and
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modification, so that they cannot be part of a GNU system. bkuhn made a
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start at a free tutorial, but a lot of work is needed.
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@item
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A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).
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@item
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A book on how GCC works and why various machine descriptions
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are written as they are.
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@item
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A manual for programming applications for X11.
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@item
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Manuals for various X window managers.
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@item
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Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C
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Compiler, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library.
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@item
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Many utilities still need documentation.
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@end itemize
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@node Unix-Related Projects, Kernel Projects, Documentation, Top
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@chapter Unix-Related Projects
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@itemize @bullet
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@ignore
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@item
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Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
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@code{bc}.
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@end ignore
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@item
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Rewrite @code{indent} from scratch to make it cleaner.
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@item
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Write a free software replacement for the @code{agrep} program.
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@item
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Less urgent: make a replacement for the ``writer's workbench'' program
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@code{style}, or something to do the same kind of job. Compatibility
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with Unix is not especially important for this program.
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@end itemize
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@node Kernel Projects, Extensions, Unix-Related Projects, Top
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@chapter Kernel-Related Projects
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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An over-the-ethernet debugger stub that will allow the kernel to be
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debugged from GDB running on another machine.
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This stub needs its own self-contained implementation of all protocols
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to be used, since the GNU system will use user processes to implement
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all but the lowest levels, and the stub won't be able to use those
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processes. If a simple self-contained implementation of IP and TCP is
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impractical, it might be necessary to design a new, simple protocol
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based directly on ethernet. It's not crucial to support high speed or
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communicating across gateways.
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It might be possible to use the Mach ethernet driver code, but it would
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need some changes.
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@item
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A shared memory X11 server to run under MACH is very desirable. The
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machine specific parts should be kept well separated.
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@item
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An implementation of CIFS, the ``Common Internet File System,'' for the
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HURD. This protocol is an offshoot of SMB.
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@item
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Support (in Linux?) for dumping the non-textual contents of an SVGA
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console.
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@end itemize
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@node Extensions, Java Projects, Kernel Projects, Top
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@chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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Enhance GCC. See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC
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distribution.
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@item
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Interface GDB to Guile, so that users can write debugging commands in
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Scheme. This would also make it possible to write, in Scheme, a
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graphical interface that uses GTK and is tightly integrated into GDB.
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@item
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Extend Octave to support programs that were written
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to run on Khoros.
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@item
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Rewrite Automake in Scheme, so it can run in Guile. Right now it is
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written in Perl. There are also other programs, not terribly long,
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which we would also like to have rewritten in Scheme.
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@item
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Finish the partially-implemented C interpreter project.
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@item
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Help with the development of GNUstep, a GNU implementation of the
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OpenStep specification.
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@item
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Add features to GNU Make to record the precise rule with which each file
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was last recompiled; then recompile any file if its rule in the makefile
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has changed.
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@item
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Add a few features to GNU @code{diff}, such as handling large input
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files without reading entire files into core.
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@item
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An @code{nroff} macro package to simplify @code{texi2roff}.
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@item
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A queueing system for the mailer Smail that groups pending work by
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destination rather than by original message. This makes it possible
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to schedule retries coherently for each destination. Talk to
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@email{tron@@veritas.com} and @email{woods@@weird.com} about this.
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@end itemize
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@node Java Projects, X Windows Projects, Extensions, Top
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@chapter Java Projects
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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The GNU Classpath Extensions project is looking for help. classpathx
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builds free versions of Sun's java extension libraries, the packages
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in the javax namespace.
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@item
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Write a replacement for the javadoc utility. The Classpath
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(@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath}) team has already made a
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start to one.
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@end itemize
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@node X Windows Projects, Network Projects, Java Projects, Top
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@chapter X Windows Projects
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@itemize @bullet
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@item
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An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.
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@ignore
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@c winelib does this http://www.winehq.org/
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@item
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A package that emulates the API of Visual C++'s Foundation Classes
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(MFC), but operates on top of X11. It need not match the screen
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appearance provided by MFC. Instead, it would be best to use GTK, so as
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to give coherence with GNOME.
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@end ignore
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@ignore
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@c GNOME Basic is doing this
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@item
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A compatible replacement for Visual Basic, running on top of X11.
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It need not match the screen appearance of Visual C++. Instead,
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it would be best to use GTK, so as to give coherence with GNOME.
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@end ignore
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@ignore
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@c Denemo is doing this.
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@item
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A music playing and editing system. This should work with LilyPond, a
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GNU program for music typesetting.
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@end ignore
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@ignore @c GNUskies should do this
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@item
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An ephemeris program to replace xephem (which is, alas, too restricted
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to qualify as free software).
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@end ignore
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@c Gepetto (@url{http://laurent.riesterer.free.fr/gepetto/intro-main.html},
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@c @email{laurent.riesterer@@free.fr}), according to @email{gnueval@@gnu.org},
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@c does the job of displaing dancers but does not allow editing notation.
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@item
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Make sure the Vibrant toolkit works with LessTif instead of Motif.
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@item
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A program to display and edit Hypercard stacks.
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@item
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A two-dimensional outliner program, which lets you draw
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graph structures of textual items, and then display them
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in various ways.
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@ignore @c done
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@item
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A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
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@end ignore
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@ignore @c Done by gLabels
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@item
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Software for designing and printing business cards.
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@end ignore
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@end itemize
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|
@node Network Projects, Encryption Projects, X Windows Projects, Top
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|
@chapter Network Projects
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
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|
@ignore
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|
@c Cornell has released a program for this.
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@item
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|
A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
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alas, not free software).
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@end ignore
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|
@ignore
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|
@c Bishop Bettini <bishop@synxcti.com> is working on this.
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@item
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|
A free ICQ-compatible server program. (The ICQ server itself is not
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free software.)
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@end ignore
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|
@ignore
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|
@c if anyone knows what this means please send email to gvc@gnu.org
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@item
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|
Free software like Stalker for operating a web server for email
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services.
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@end ignore
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|
@end itemize
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|
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|
@node Encryption Projects, Other Projects, Network Projects, Top
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|
@chapter Encryption Projects
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|
|
|
These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not
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|
US citizens, to avoid problems with US export control law.
|
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|
@itemize @bullet
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|
@ignore
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|
@c libcrypt is doing this.
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|
@item
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|
A free library for public-key encryption. This library can probably be
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|
developed from the code for the GNU Privacy Guard.
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|
@end ignore
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|
|
|
@ignore
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|
@item
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|
@c GNUtls is doing this.
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|
An implementation of SSLv3 (more precisely, TLSv1) which has
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|
distribution terms compatible with the GNU GPL. We know of a
|
|
GPL-covered implemention of a version of SSL that you can use as a
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|
starting point.
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|
@end ignore
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|
|
|
@ignore
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|
@c akopia interchange appears to do this. if you'd like to re-open this
|
|
@c item please let the GVC know what you want (in some detail)
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|
@item
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|
Free software for doing secure commercial transactions on the web.
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|
This should be based on libgcrypt and GNUtls.
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|
@end ignore
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|
@end itemize
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|
|
|
@node Other Projects, Languages, Encryption Projects, Top
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|
@chapter Other Projects
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|
|
|
If you think of others that should be added, please
|
|
send them to @email{tasks@@gnu.org}.
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c vcg as of version 1.30 (current as of 2002-10-24) is GPL
|
|
@c toby 2002-10-24
|
|
@item
|
|
A library for automatic graph layout. VCG version 1.0, which was free
|
|
software, might provide a base for this.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A data visualization program along the lines of xgobi or ggobi.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A graph visualization program, which would use that library and
|
|
provide a front end for manual and interactive intervention so as to
|
|
provide a full substitute for equivalent proprietory software. It
|
|
would be good to support DOT format as input, and perhaps other
|
|
formats.
|
|
|
|
@c Such proprietary software is daVinci and graphviz, but are uncommon enough
|
|
@c that we don't mention them here publicly.
|
|
@c http://www.research.att.com/~erg/graphviz/info/lang.html
|
|
@c Some useful information about graph drawing programs can be found here
|
|
@c http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/graphviz/gdlinks.html
|
|
|
|
@c At the time of making this entry, VCG's website was
|
|
@c http://rw4.cs.uni-sb.de/users/sander/html/gsvcg1.html
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
|
|
A ``one stop shopping system'' for advocates involved with social
|
|
justice or other non-profit campaigns. The idea would be to create an
|
|
easy-to-use interface to software that would allow someone to register a
|
|
domain for their organisation, build a website, and set up mailing
|
|
lists. The software would need options to easily do all this, and be
|
|
made easy for non-hackers. Mainly the work would involve bringing
|
|
together a number of existing tools with an overriding configuration
|
|
program.
|
|
|
|
@ignore LinuxBIOS 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
|
|
free system on these PCs, we need a free BIOS.
|
|
|
|
This task is made simpler by the fact that this BIOS need only support
|
|
enough features to enable a boot-loader such as LILO or GRUB to finish
|
|
loading the kernel. Neither Linux nor Mach actually uses the BIOS once
|
|
it starts up. Also, it is not absolutely necessary to do all the many
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
An imitation of Page Maker or Ventura Publisher.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
An imitation of @code{dbase2} or @code{dbase3}. (How dbased!)
|
|
Harbour, a free replacement for Clipper, would provide a useful start.
|
|
@uref{http://www.harbour-project.org/}.
|
|
|
|
@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.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A free replacement for Glimpse, which is not free software.
|
|
Swish does some parts of the job, but not all.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Software for desktop publishing. We are extending Emacs into a WYSIWYG
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
@display
|
|
Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs,
|
|
Ronald M. Baecker and Aaron Marcus,
|
|
Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-10745-7
|
|
@end display
|
|
|
|
But you don't have to do exactly what they propose.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c This is now being worked on -- rms, 22 June 1998
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to convert Microsoft Word documents to text/enriched, TeX,
|
|
LaTeX, Texinfo, or some other format that free software can edit.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c People are helping the developer of siff release it as free software.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A free replacement for siff (sometimes called sif). This would be a
|
|
program to find similar files in a large file system, ``similar''
|
|
meaning that the files contain a significant number of common substrings
|
|
that are of a certain size or greater. You can find some information
|
|
about siff (which is, unfortunately, not free software) at
|
|
@uref{ftp://ftp.cs.arizona.edu/reports/1993/TR93-33.ps.Z}.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c This is being developed -- rms, 3 May 1998
|
|
@item
|
|
A free replacement for the semi-free Qt library.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c Ogg Vorbis is doing this, see @url{http://www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis/index.html} or contact @email{Monty <monty@xiph.org>}.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
High-quality music compression software.
|
|
(Talk with @email{mt@@sulaco.org} 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.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to play sound distributed in ``Real Audio'' format, if only
|
|
because there is a large corpus of data encoded in this format. We
|
|
ask that you encode audio data in Ogg/Vorbis format since it is
|
|
publically documented and there are Free Software encoders and
|
|
decoders available.
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c we do NOT want to provide software to encode data into proprietary secret formats. People should use ogg/vorbis or another well-documented format instead
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to generate ``Real Audio'' format from audio input.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Programs to handle audio in RTSP format.
|
|
|
|
@ignore @c Software patents have made this domain off limits to free software.
|
|
@item
|
|
An MPEG III audio encoder/decoder (but it is necessary to check, first,
|
|
whether patents make this impossible).
|
|
|
|
@c Chris Hofstader is working on a non-Festival speech-generation program.
|
|
@c Mario Lang <lang@zid.tu-graz.ac.at> reports that Festival needs only
|
|
@c to be 2-5 times faster to work well with Emacspeak.
|
|
@item
|
|
Speech-generation programs that are faster than the Festival engine.
|
|
This might be done by optimizing Festival.
|
|
|
|
@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 program to display text word by word, always showing just one word at
|
|
a time. This method permits much faster reading than ordinary text
|
|
display. If you want to work on this, contact @email{stutz@@dsl.org} to
|
|
learn more.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
More scientific mathematical subroutines.
|
|
(A clone of SPSS is being written already.)
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A scientific data collection and processing tool,
|
|
perhaps something like Scientific Workbench and/or Khoros,
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A free replacement for SciRun, which is not free software.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to calculate properties of molecules by solving
|
|
the Schroedinger equation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c the Koha project appears to satisfy this need. see www.koha.org
|
|
@c toby 2002-06-21
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Software to replace card catalogs in libraries.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A simulator for heating and air conditioning systems for buildings.
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c Pat Deegan @email{pat@@psychogenic.com} is working on this.
|
|
@c no URL yet, the status is updated in @file{volunteers}
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program for voting and tabulating election results.
|
|
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c at least 4 GPL program exist for this purpose (one of
|
|
@c which, gramps, has a GNOME UI):
|
|
@c http://www.gnu.org/search/fsd-search.py?q=geneology
|
|
@c 2002-06-27 toby
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A package for editing genealogical records conveniently.
|
|
This could perhaps be done as a Gnome program, or perhaps
|
|
as an Emacs extension.
|
|
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c ToutDoux aims to do this.
|
|
@c also Minkowsky (at least simple project management) - toby
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A project-scheduling package that accepts a list of project sub-tasks
|
|
with their interdependencies, and generates Gantt charts and Pert charts
|
|
and all the other standard project progress reports.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Grammar and style checking programs.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A diagnostic program to test a hard disk.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Optical character recognition programs; especially if suitable for
|
|
scanning documents with multiple fonts and capturing font info as well
|
|
as character codes. Work is being done on this, but more help is needed.
|
|
|
|
@c Some of the OCR work being done:
|
|
@c Luis Cearra <luisjc@lem.eui.upm.es>, http://lem.eui.upm.es/ocre.html
|
|
@c The status of these projects is updated in @file{/gd/gnuorg/volunteers}
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to scan a line drawing and convert it to editable Postscript,
|
|
or some other editable format.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to recognize handwriting (we don't believe PocketLinux's
|
|
handwriting capability is ready for non-PocketLinux environments, yet).
|
|
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program that can translate from one natural language, into another.
|
|
For example, a program to translate French into English.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to receive data from a serial-line tap to facilitate the
|
|
reverse-engineering of communication protocols.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A database program designed to store and retrieve patent information.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A free software package to run on a Palm Pilot in place of its usual
|
|
software, doing more or less the usual jobs. (Linux, the kernel, has
|
|
apparently been ported, but according to what we hear this port is not
|
|
useful yet.)
|
|
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Languages, Education, 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, 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.
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
@c Fortran status is here so gnu@gnu.org and the volunteer coordinators
|
|
@c don't have to answer the question -len
|
|
@c as of 2002-09 this doesn't work anymore - toby
|
|
You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command:
|
|
|
|
@example
|
|
finger -l fortran@@gnu.org
|
|
@end example
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
|
|
We would like to have translators from various languages into Scheme.
|
|
These languages include TCL, Python, Perl, Java, Javascript, and Rexx.
|
|
Perhaps Clipper as well.
|
|
|
|
@node Education, Games and Recreations, Languages, Top
|
|
@chapter Education
|
|
|
|
Programs for studying, teaching or doing administrative tasks in schools.
|
|
See @uref{http://www.gnu.org/education/} for additional information.
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to organize automatically the schedule of a school given
|
|
constraints about teachers, rooms, times, and students.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A program to edit dance notation (such as labanotation) and display
|
|
dancers moving on the screen. Gepetto does some of this work. Contact
|
|
@email{gvc@@gnu.org} if you are interested in helping finish the job.
|
|
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
@node Games and Recreations, , Education, Top
|
|
@chapter Games and Recreations
|
|
|
|
Video-oriented games that work with the X window system.
|
|
|
|
@itemize @bullet
|
|
@item
|
|
Empire (there is a free version but it needs upgrading)
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
An ``empire builder'' system that makes it easy to write various kinds of
|
|
simulation games.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Improve GnuGo @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gnugo/gnugo.html}.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Network servers and clients for board and card games for which such
|
|
software does not yet exist.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A Hierarchical Task Network package which can be used
|
|
to program play the computer's side in various strategic games.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A game like Mill/Nine Men's Morris.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
A realistic train-driving simulator.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
Write imitations of some popular video games:
|
|
|
|
@itemize -
|
|
@item
|
|
Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.
|
|
@item
|
|
Defending cities from missiles.
|
|
@item
|
|
Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
|
|
@item
|
|
Wizard fights fanciful monsters.
|
|
@ignore Peter Sundling peter.sundling@telia.com expressed interest in this.
|
|
@item
|
|
A golf game.
|
|
@ignore Being done by jhall1@isd.net
|
|
@item
|
|
Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,
|
|
then watch it explore a world.
|
|
@end ignore
|
|
@item
|
|
Biomorph evolution (as in Scientific American and @cite{The Blind
|
|
Watchmaker}).
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
@end itemize
|
|
|
|
We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
@bye
|
|
@c LocalWords: dir texi lastupdate uref http www org html helpgnu ifinfo ftp
|
|
@c LocalWords: dvi hurd toc gvc URL GTK XmHTML xs nl ripley NT com gettext Qt
|
|
@c LocalWords: GUI libstdc Docbook SGML libc sed STL Gforth GNUstep TCSH Perl
|
|
@c LocalWords: Ghostscript PIC GCC Texinfo grep dc bc ethernet GDB IP CIFS CU
|
|
@c LocalWords: SMB SVGA Khoros Automake OpenStep diff roff Smail tron veritas
|
|
@c LocalWords: cxref ctrace API LilyPond xephem labanotation LessTif outliner
|
|
@c LocalWords: Hypercard morphing SeeMe ICQ Diffie Helman RSA SSLv TLSv GPL
|
|
@c LocalWords: OpenBIOS BIOS LILO dbase dbased Harbour harbour WYSIWYG ISBN
|
|
@c LocalWords: TruePrint Baecker siff sif cs arizona edu TR ps mt sulaco MP
|
|
@c LocalWords: RTSP MPEG jasonw ariel ucs unimelb AU stutz dsl TCL Javascript
|
|
@c LocalWords: Rexx GnuGo jhall isd Biomorph regexp eval gd gnuorg
|
|
|
|
Local variables:
|
|
eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'time-stamp)
|
|
time-stamp-start: "@set lastupdate "
|
|
time-stamp-end: "$"
|
|
time-stamp-format: "%:b %:d, %:y"
|
|
compile-command: "make just-tasks"
|
|
End:
|