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Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2015 14:01:15 -0500 (EST)
From: Stuart Brorson <sdb AT cloud9 DOT net>
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Subject: Re: [geda-user] FOSDEM
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>>> By the way, why are m4 footprints deprecated in gEDA?  That looks like a
>>> step backwards.
>>
>> Mostly, "not generally available on Windows"
>
> Anyone capable of running gEDA on Windows is more than capable of installing
> gnuwin32.  http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/  Has M4 and the other
> needed 'missing' things like ls, which etc.
>
> What I see on the list is people usually disable M4 because it
> conflicts in odd ways with footprint files.
> Which has noting to do with the operating system.

I'll accept some responsibility for the idea that m4 footprints are
deprecated.  Long ago, when I was putting together the document about
PCB and footprints, I tried to make the process as easy as possible
for new users.  When I was learning to use PCB, I wasn confused by the
program's behavior w.r.t. footprints until I figured out that there
were two separate, independent footprint instantiation systems -- M4
and files.  This I thought was totally confusing.

I am used to dealing with footprint files from other EDA programs.
Also, I find editing footprint files conceptually more straightforward
than trying to hack an obscure macro language.  Therefore, I settled
on using footprints from files for myself, and recommended this path
in my document.

I was sort of hoping that the whole M4 footprint mechanism would be
stripped out from PCB.  However, this hasn't happened, and I haven't
tried to do it myself.  Also, there are plenty of footprints available
only as M4 macros (i.e. nobody has created a file version yet).
Therefore, M4 and file footprints still co-exist in PCB, but the
document says the M4 footprints are deprecated.  I still think using
file footprints exclusively are the best path forward for PCB, but I
haven't done the necessary work to make it happen.

Stuart