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Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2015 11:43:48 -0700
From: Larry Doolittle <ldoolitt AT recycle DOT lbl DOT gov>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: [geda-user] PCB and gschem libraries
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John -

On Thu, Apr 02, 2015 at 12:11:24PM -0600, John Doty wrote:
> Useful, but the needs are so vastly greater than the sources could ever cover that there, too, you’re generally just looking for something that can save you starting from scratch. You’re still going to need to edit it in most cases.

Background: I use and like Darrell Harmon's footgen, and DJ Delorie's djboxsym.
Years ago, I put together the qfp-ui TCL/M4 scripts that might still exist in
PCB.  You can see I'm a fan of parameterized footprints, although they
clearly have limitations and shouldn't be the _only_ thing around.

What I do wish for is a better sense of building from related parts,
without cutting and pasting.  The footgen way is too linear for that.
It would be better for some part's description to say "just like part X,
but with an exposed paddle 3.6 x 3.6 mm".  Somebody else could come along
as and say "just like part X, but with toe increased by 0.8 mm".

Managing (version-controlling) the chain of dependencies would require some
thought.  And coming up with a final .fp file at the end is essential, even
if the usual UI flow made it virtual by way of a *nix pipe.

  - Larry