Subject:
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Re: LCAD/LDraw.org Formal Organization
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw
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Date:
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Wed, 7 Feb 2001 20:33:28 GMT
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Viewed:
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776 times
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In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Steve Bliss writes:
> In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Farlie A wrote:
>
> > In lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw, Steve Bliss writes:
>
> > > "Getting through the process" means the committee
> > > would gather input from the members, research standard (and non-standard)
> > > methods of organization, write a charter (or adapt/adopt an existing
> > > standard group charter), and finally run a ratification process (probably
> > > by voting) to accept the charter and bylaws.
> >
> > What model where you thinking of using?
>
> We haven't gotten that specific, yet. We're thinking along the lines of a
> 'town council' approach, where the elected officers are equal peers (as
> opposed to having offices of president, vice president, etc). As I
> mentioned before, we're leaning toward a republic/representative org,
> rather than direct democracy -- there's not large-scale dissention in the
> l-cad community, just arguing over detials. We need some people who have
> the granted authority to make decisions and act on them.
OK but you would need at least a chairman or tresuarer...
Also .. "Politics is often about the 'details' " ;-) Quote from a UK MP but
cant remember which one..
> > > To start this process, an adhoc committee has tentatively formed,
> > > consisting of the adminstrators of the ldraw.org website and parts library.
> > > That's these people:
> > >
> > > Tim Courtney
> > > Jacob Sparre Andersen
> > > Terry Keller
> > > Steve Bliss
> >
> > Not Todd ?
>
> This isn't a LUGNET initiative, and Todd has not been highly involved in
> l-cad activity in the past. This isn't a LUGNET initiative, it's an action
> to form a new organization for the l-cad community.
OK Point taken- Looking at your list it seems you have more of a software
vendors group (at the moment) in my view......
> > Yes! However 2 additonal aims should be :
> >
> > The publication, and subsquent mantianence of a standards document detaling
> > the LCAD standard so that suitable LCAD software can be written or mantained
> > for currently supported (or in the future additonal) computing platforms.
>
> I'm not *exactly* following you on this. Do you mean detailed specs on the
> LDraw graphics description language, or something else/more?
> > I would see the publication of a standards document as falling within the
> scope of the ad hoc committee, as it is in the nature of clearing defining
> the current environment. But I don't see it as a high-priority activity;
> we've got the basics covered in the LDraw FAQ (especially question #20).
I know about the FAQ :-)
What I wanted was a document that also clarified file paths,defualt settings
,colour models,coordinate... also the BFC and the numerous 'extensions' to
the format...
Esentialy the thinga software writer would need when developing a
compatible tool...
A short peice of text is given below as an example
"
A DAT file is a file of a number of line types.
The line types are written as lines of plain text
These plain text lines are encoded using ASCII/utf8(?)
A linetype shall be written on a single line.
Line types over multiple lines are not suported..
A single line shall be considered as all the charecters on a
line from the first non whitespace charecter till an LF/CR(?)
Prior whitespace is ignored. (This being space prior to the first non
whitespace charecter on the line.)
Whitespace between the last non whitespace whitespace charecter and the
LF/CR is ignored..
A DAT file has no file-specfic end of file indicator.
The stanadrd method for determing EOF on the platform should be used.
A line type consits of :
An number using the digits 0-9 indicating the 'line-type'
Followed by the paramters for that line type.
The line type number and paramaters must be seperated with whitespace.
The whitespace may be of any size.
The paramters used by LDRAW are of two types.
numerical and filename..
Numerical paramters shall be considerd according to (X format) for reading
floating point numbers.
Filename paramters are text strings terminated by the first whitespace
charecter CR or LF.
Filename paramters are case-sensitive.
Filename paramters may include path details.
Filename paramters shall consider '\' &'/' to be path seperators.
"
That's what I meant by 'standard'.... (The above is an extremly limited
example..
Essentialy what I was after was a specification that would allow some to
write a viewer on any platform without having seen the orignal LDraw/LEdit
program.
( I did SW Eng on my college course and STILL don't fully understand SW
specification! Do we have a CAD SW enginer in the house? )
The reason I was suggesting a spec. was that I was considering a port of
LDraw to the RISC-OS system (currently V4 altough my ref platform is RO3).
No doubt given the speed an ARM chip runs at I could probably put in (given
time) proper render capability as well. I am seriously considering ditiching
the current DOS version.. once the full parts lib is avialable sperately...
(RISC-OS by the way was a pionerring operating system for the Acorn
Achimedies range of machines produced by Acorn Computer Group in the UK. It
suppourted 32 voice Sampled sounds, taskbar ,FULLY draggable windows, &(CD?)
in 1987 long before Windows. + it did allow for software(?) video since 1992
via !Replay. Currently in Relase 4.0 it is represnts a credible alternative
to Windows for some applications...FUT : off.topic.geek)
I really thnk there SHOULD be an LDraw version for it.... Anbody got C code?
(This is the best option in the absence of a spec.. Source code being the
ultimate spec ;-) )
I would also suggest that the ad-hoc commitre seriously consider that L-Draw
isn't just a PC/Windows system... We've got Linux users as well now... What
about MAC?!)- so maybe R0 should be added to the list..
Some thoughts on this
RO has 10 Char filenames- No problem as LDraw naming is DOS 8.3?
Colours- RO- 256 on early machines(more on later) - LDraw- (?)
RO has also been used for education CAD for many years... Designer
Castles,!Euclid, and others so a 3D progrom on it is not something new.
> > The establishment of working groups to look into extensions to the current
> > de-facto LCAD standard. Such as texture mapping or curves. This group would
> > make represntations to the committe that would be considered in standards
> > revison.
>
> I agree that this should definitely be a high priority for the permanent
> organization. However, I don't think it is something that should be
> addressed by the ad hoc committee, because it goes into new development,
> rather than consolidation/definition of the current environment.
OK..
> Steve
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: LCAD/LDraw.org Formal Organization
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| (...) We haven't gotten that specific, yet. We're thinking along the lines of a 'town council' approach, where the elected officers are equal peers (as opposed to having offices of president, vice president, etc). As I mentioned before, we're (...) (23 years ago, 6-Feb-01, to lugnet.cad.dev.org.ldraw)
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