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Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2015 21:47:17 -0500
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From: DJ Delorie <dj AT delorie DOT com>
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In-reply-to: <mas0aa$ngv$1@ger.gmane.org> (message from Kai-Martin Knaak on
	Wed, 04 Feb 2015 03:38:58 +0100)
Subject: Re: [geda-user] Footprint Generator
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> A "footprint" or an "element" are not quite the same as in common
> languages.

footprint - the impression of something on a surface

element - a component of a whole

In PCB, the footprint is the pattern, where the element has all the
additional information that makes it a unique portion of the whole
design.  You could argue that we use different terms than other EDA
packages, but that only means we're different (or they're different),
not wrong.

> The notion of "solder side", "solder layer" and "component side"
> coexists with "top side" and "bottom side".

We're working on that one, we've been migrating to just top/bottom.
This, however, is a case where everyone *did* use the same terms
(component/solder) but had to diverge when SMT and multi-layer boards
became the norm.