comparison etc/tasks.texi @ 48554:c3a7a8c69672

Updated from /gd/gnuorg.

48553:7d164bb9af1f

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename tasks.info
@settitle GNU Task List
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
@set lastupdate January 15, 2001
@c %**end of header

@setchapternewpage off

@titlepage
@title GNU Task List
@author Free Software Foundation
@author last updated @value{lastupdate}
@end titlepage

@ifinfo
@node Top, Intro, (dir), (dir)
@top GNU Task List

This file is updated automatically from @file{tasks.texi}, which was
last updated on @value{lastupdate}.  See also
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html#helpgnu} for other suggested
tasks.
@end ifinfo

@menu
* Intro::                       
* Highest Priority::            
* Documentation::               
* Unix-Related Projects::       
* Kernel Projects::             
* Extensions::                  
* X Windows Projects::          
* Network Projects::            
* Encryption Projects::         
* Other Projects::              
* Languages::                   
* Education::                   
* Games and Recreations::       
@end menu

@node Intro, Highest Priority, Top, Top
@chapter About the GNU Task List

If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and
recently, please check for a newer version.  You can ftp the task list
from any GNU FTP host in directory @file{/pub/gnu/tasks/}.  The task
list is available there in several different formats: @file{tasks.text},
@file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and @file{tasks.dvi}.  The GNU
HURD task list is also there in file @file{tasks.hurd}.
@c to fix an overfill, join the paragraphs -len
The task list is also available on the GNU World Wide Web server:
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks_toc.html}.

If you start working steadily on a project, please let @email{gvc@@gnu.org}

But if you would like to work on what we need most, here is a list of
high priority projects.

@itemize @bullet

@item 
A new maintainer is needed for Goose
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/goose/goose.html}.

@item
If you are good at writing documentation, please do that.

@item
If you are very good at C programming and interested in kernels, you can
help develop the GNU HURD, the kernel for the GNU system.  Please have a
look at @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html}, and
then get a copy of the latest HURD task list from:

@itemize @bullet

@item
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks.hurd.html}, via the World Wide
Web.

@item
@uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/tasks/tasks.hurd}, via anonymous FTP.

@item
@email{gvc@@gnu.org} via e-mail.

@end itemize

@item
If you are a Scheme fan, you can help develop Guile.  Please have a look
at the URL @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/guile.html}
and then contact the Guile developers at @email{guile@@gnu.org}.

@item
Improve the facilities for translating other languages into Scheme,
so that Guile can provide support for a variety of languages.

@item
A package to convert programs written using MS Access into Scheme,
making use of a free data base system and the GTK toolkit.

@ignore
@item
Help develop XmHTML.  See @uref{http://www.xs4all.nl/~ripley/XmHTML/}.
@end ignore

@item
Help develop software to emulate Windows NT on top of GNU systems.
For example, you could help work on Willows Twin.
See @uref{http://www.willows.com/}.

@item
Add gettext support to GNU programs that don't have it already.  (Please
contact the developers of the specific packages that you want to work
on.) 

@ignore  The Kermit developers say they will provide a free program
to do this.
@item
Implement the Kermit data transfer protocol.  (See below.)
@end ignore

@ignore This is being done (Harmony)
@item
Develop a free compatible replacement for Qt, a GUI toolkit library.  Qt
is not free software, because users are prohibited from distributing
modified versions.  Thus, Qt cannot be included in a free operating
system (adding it would make the system as a whole non-free).

But some developers are writing free applications that use Qt and cannot
run without it.  These programs, although free software, are useless for
free operating systems because there is no way to make them run.

This is leading to a serious problem, and a free replacement for Qt is
the only solution.  Hence the high degree of urgency of this project.
@end ignore

@item
Develop a substitute, which runs on GNU systems, for some very popular
or very important application that many non-programmers use on Windows,
and which has no comparable free equivalent now.

free software versions of SQL.

@item
A manual for libstdc++.

@item
A unified manual for La@TeX{}.  (Existing documentation is non-free.)

@item
A manual for Docbook SGML format. 

@item
A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander.

@item

A reference manual for the GNU Hurd features in GNU libc.

@item
A manual for writing Hurd servers.

@item
A manual for GNU sed.

@item
Reference manuals for C++, Objective C, Pascal, Fortran 77, and Java.

@item

@item
A coherent free reference manual for Perl.  Most of the Perl on-line
reference documentation can be used as a starting point, but work is
needed to weld them together into a coherent manual.

@ignore
@c Bradley M. Kuhn is working on this. <[e-mail]>
@item
A good free Perl language tutorial introduction.  The existing Perl
introductions are published with restrictions on copying and
modification, so that they cannot be part of a GNU system.
@end ignore

@item
A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).

@item

@item
Manuals for various X window managers.

@item
Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C
Compiler, Make, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library.

@item
Many utilities still need documentation.
@end itemize

@ignore
@item
Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
@code{bc}.
@end ignore

@item
Less urgent: make a replacement for the ``writer's workbench'' program
@code{style}, or something to do the same kind of job.  Compatibility
with Unix is not especially important for this program.

@item
Rewrite @code{indent} from scratch to make it cleaner.

@item
Write a free software replacement for the @code{agrep} program.

@end itemize

@node Kernel Projects, Extensions, Unix-Related Projects, Top
@chapter Kernel-Related Projects

@item
Support (in Linux?) for dumping the non-textual contents of an SVGA
console.
@end itemize

@node Extensions, X Windows Projects, Kernel Projects, Top
@chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software

@itemize @bullet
@item
Enhance GCC.  See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC

to schedule retries coherently for each destination.  Talk to
@email{tron@@veritas.com} and @email{woods@@weird.com} about this.

@end itemize

@node X Windows Projects, Network Projects, Extensions, Top
@chapter X Windows Projects

@itemize @bullet
@item
An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.

@item

A package that emulates the API of Visual C++'s Foundation Classes
(MFC), but operates on top of X11.  It need not match the screen
appearance provided by MFC.  Instead, it would be best to use GTK, so as
to give coherence with GNOME.

@ignore
@c GNOME Basic is doing this
@item
A compatible replacement for Visual Basic, running on top of X11.

@ignore  @c done
@item
A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
@end ignore

@item
Software for designing and printing business cards.
@end itemize

@node Network Projects, Encryption Projects, X Windows Projects, Top
@chapter Network Projects

@itemize @bullet
@ignore
@c www.openh323.org is doing this. Craig Southeren <[e-mail]>
@item
A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
alas, not free software).
@end ignore

@item
A free ICQ-compatible server program.  (The ICQ server itself is not
free software.)
@end ignore

@end itemize

@node Encryption Projects, Other Projects, Network Projects, Top
@chapter Encryption Projects

These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not
US citizens, to avoid problems with US export control law.

@itemize @bullet
@item
A free library for public-key encryption.  This library can probably be
developed from the code for the GNU Privacy Guard.
  
@item
An implementation of SSLv3 (more precisely, TLSv1) which has
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
starting point.

@item
Free software for doing secure commercial transactions on the web.
This too needs public key encryption.
@end itemize

@node Other Projects, Languages, Encryption Projects, Top
@chapter Other Projects

If you think of others that should be added, please
send them to @email{tasks@@gnu.org}.

@itemize @bullet
@ignore OpenBIOS 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.

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.

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.

@item
A program to generate ``Real Audio'' format from audio input.

@item
Programs to handle audio in RTSP format.

@ignore  @c Software patents have made this domain off limits to free software.

@item
A scientific data collection and processing tool,
perhaps something like Scientific Workbench and/or Khoros,

@item
A program to calculate properties of molecules by solving
the Schroedinger equation.

@item
Software to replace card catalogs in libraries.

@item
A simulator for heating and air conditioning systems for buildings.

@ignore

@item
A program for voting and tabulating election results.

@end ignore

@item
A package for editing genealogical records conveniently.
This could perhaps be done as a Gnome program, or perhaps
as an Emacs extension.

@ignore
@c ToutDoux aims to do this.

@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.

@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
A pen based interface.

@item
CAD software, such as a vague imitation of Autocad.

@item

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.

@c Fortran status is here so [e-mail] and the volunteer coordinators
@c don't have to answer the question -len
You can get the status of the Fortran front end with this command:

@example
finger -l fortran@@gnu.org
@end example

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.

Programs for studying, teaching or doing administrative tasks in schools.
See @uref{http://www.gnu.org/education/} for additional information.

@itemize @bullet
@item
A programm 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

@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}, which is not yet very sophisticated. 

@item
Network servers and clients for board and card games for which such
software does not yet exist.

@item
A game like Mill/Nine Men's Morris.

@item
Write imitations of some popular video games:

@itemize -
@item
Space war, Asteroids, Pong, Columns.

Defending cities from missiles.
@item
Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
@item
Wizard fights fanciful monsters.
@item
A golf game.
@ignore Being done by [e-mail]
@item
Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,

@end itemize
@end itemize

We do not need @code{rogue}, as we have @code{hack}.

@contents

@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:  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:
update-date-leading-regexp: "@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:\n@set lastupdate "
update-date-trailing-regexp: ""
eval: (load "/gd/gnuorg/update-date.el")
eval: (add-hook 'write-file-hooks 'update-date)
compile-command: "make just-tasks"
End:

48554:c3a7a8c69672

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename tasks.info
@settitle GNU Task List
@c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
@set lastupdate October 24, 2002
@c %**end of header

@c On behalf of the Volunteer Coordinators, I humbly request that anyone
@c who adds an entry to this file please add a pointer to some more info
@c about that project.  People ask us ([e-mail]) for more information
@c about these projects and it's embarrassing to ask around and find out
@c that nobody remembers what the project was supposed to be, or do.
@c We don't need a huge elaborate ISO-9001 document, just a couple of
@c paragraphs or a URL or something that explains what the e.g. ``stalker''
@c project should do.  It will save us all time in the future.
@c Thanks, [e-mail]
@c April 27, 2002

@dircategory GNU organization
@direntry
* Tasks: (tasks).               GNU task list.
@end direntry

@setchapternewpage off

@copying
The GNU task list, last updated @value{lastupdate}.

Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

@quotation
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright
notice and this notice are preserved.
@end quotation
@end copying

@titlepage
@title GNU Task List
@author Free Software Foundation
@author last updated @value{lastupdate}
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@contents

@ifnottex
@node Top, Intro, (dir), (dir)
@top GNU Task List

@insertcopying

See also
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html#helpgnu} for other suggested tasks.
@end ifnottex

@menu
* Intro::
* Highest Priority::
* Documentation::
* Unix-Related Projects::
* Kernel Projects::
* Extensions::
* Java Projects::
* X Windows Projects::
* Network Projects::
* Encryption Projects::
* Other Projects::
* Languages::
* Education::
* Games and Recreations::
@end menu

@node Intro, Highest Priority, Top, Top
@chapter About the GNU Task List

If you did not obtain this file directly from the GNU project and
recently, please check for a newer version.  You can ftp the task list
from any GNU FTP host in directory @file{/pub/gnu/tasks/}.  The task
list is available there in several different formats: @file{tasks.text},
@file{tasks.texi}, @file{tasks.info}, and @file{tasks.dvi}.  
@c to fix an overfill, join the paragraphs -len
The task list is also available on the GNU World Wide Web server:
@uref{http://www.gnu.org/prep/tasks_toc.html}.

If you start working steadily on a project, please let @email{gvc@@gnu.org}

But if you would like to work on what we need most, here is a list of
high priority projects.

@itemize @bullet

@item

If you are good at writing documentation, please do that.  Pick a system
or program you like, and write a Free tutorial or manual for it.

@item

Help to finish the missing features of the @command{docbook2texi} so
that as many Docbook tags as possible can be translated into reasonable
Texinfo.  See @uref{http://docbook2x.sourceforge.net/todo.html} for a
task list of what needs to be done.

@item
If you are very good at C programming and interested in kernels, you
can help develop the GNU HURD, the kernel for the GNU system.  Please
have a look at @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/hurd/hurd.html}, and
then join the HURD mailing lists at
@uref{http://www.debian.org/ports/hurd/hurd-contact}.

@item
If you are a Scheme fan, you can help develop Guile.  Please have a look
at the URL @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/guile/guile.html}
and then contact the Guile developers at @email{guile-devel@@gnu.org}.

@item
Improve the facilities for translating other languages into Scheme,
so that Guile can provide support for a variety of languages.

@item
A package to convert programs written using MS Access into Scheme,
making use of a free data base system and the GTK toolkit.

@item
A general-purpose document viewing program that can handle PostScript,
DVI, PDF, HTML, RTF, Word format and Word Perfect format.

@item
Help develop software to emulate Windows NT on top of GNU systems.
For example, you could help work on Wine.
See @uref{http://www.winehq.org/}.

@ignore
@c panda is a PDF generator library released under the GPL
@c http://www.stillhq.com/cgi-bin/getpage?area=panda&page=index.htm
@item
A free replacement for pdflib. This is a library for generating PDF.
@end ignore

@item
Add gettext support to GNU programs that don't have it already.  (Please
contact the developers of the specific packages that you want to work
on.)

@item
Develop a substitute, which runs on GNU systems, for some very popular
or very important application that many non-programmers use on Windows,
and which has no comparable free equivalent now.

free software versions of SQL.

@item
A manual for libstdc++.


@ignore
@c the Indian TeX Users Group has completed a freely distributable version of a LaTex manual - http://www.tug.org.in/tutorials.html
@item
A unified manual for La@TeX{}.  (Existing documentation is non-free.)
@end ignore

@ignore
@c docbook definitive guide http://www.docbook.org/tdg/en/html/ is now FDL
@item
A manual for Docbook SGML format.
@end ignore

@item
A tutorial introduction to Midnight Commander.

@item

A reference manual for the GNU Hurd features in GNU libc.

@item
A manual for writing Hurd servers.

@ignore
@c this is done.
@item
A manual for GNU sed.
@end ignore

@item
Reference manuals for C++, Objective C, Pascal, Fortran 77, and Java.

@item

@item
A coherent free reference manual for Perl.  Most of the Perl on-line
reference documentation can be used as a starting point, but work is
needed to weld them together into a coherent manual.

@c Bradley M. Kuhn is working on this. <[e-mail]>  Refer volunteers to
@c  him.

@item

A good free Perl language tutorial introduction.  The existing Perl
introductions are published with restrictions on copying and
modification, so that they cannot be part of a GNU system.  bkuhn made a
start at a free tutorial, but a lot of work is needed.


@item
A manual for PIC (the graphics formatting language).

@item

@item
Manuals for various X window managers.

@item
Reference cards for those manuals that don't have them: C
Compiler, Texinfo, Termcap, and maybe the C Library.

@item
Many utilities still need documentation.
@end itemize

@ignore
@item
Modify the GNU @code{dc} program to use the math routines of GNU
@code{bc}.
@end ignore

@item
Rewrite @code{indent} from scratch to make it cleaner.

@item
Write a free software replacement for the @code{agrep} program.

@item
Less urgent: make a replacement for the ``writer's workbench'' program
@code{style}, or something to do the same kind of job.  Compatibility
with Unix is not especially important for this program.

@end itemize

@node Kernel Projects, Extensions, Unix-Related Projects, Top
@chapter Kernel-Related Projects

@item
Support (in Linux?) for dumping the non-textual contents of an SVGA
console.
@end itemize

@node Extensions, Java Projects, Kernel Projects, Top
@chapter Extensions to Existing GNU Software

@itemize @bullet
@item
Enhance GCC.  See files @file{PROJECTS} and @file{PROBLEMS} in the GCC

to schedule retries coherently for each destination.  Talk to
@email{tron@@veritas.com} and @email{woods@@weird.com} about this.

@end itemize

@node  Java Projects, X Windows Projects, Extensions, Top
@chapter Java Projects

@itemize @bullet

@item
The GNU Classpath Extensions project is looking for help.  classpathx
builds free versions of Sun's java extension libraries, the packages
in the javax namespace.

@item
Write a replacement for the javadoc utility.  The Classpath
(@uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath}) team has already made a
start to one.


@end itemize

@node X Windows Projects, Network Projects, Java Projects, Top
@chapter X Windows Projects

@itemize @bullet
@item
An emulator for Macintosh graphics calls on top of X Windows.

@ignore
@c winelib does this http://www.winehq.org/
@item
A package that emulates the API of Visual C++'s Foundation Classes
(MFC), but operates on top of X11.  It need not match the screen
appearance provided by MFC.  Instead, it would be best to use GTK, so as
to give coherence with GNOME.
@end ignore

@ignore
@c GNOME Basic is doing this
@item
A compatible replacement for Visual Basic, running on top of X11.

@ignore  @c done
@item
A program for graphic morphing of scanned photographs.
@end ignore

@ignore  @c Done by gLabels
@item
Software for designing and printing business cards.
@end ignore
@end itemize

@node Network Projects, Encryption Projects, X Windows Projects, Top
@chapter Network Projects

@itemize @bullet
@ignore
@c Cornell has released a program for this.
@item
A teleconferencing program which does the job of CU-SeeMe (which is,
alas, not free software).
@end ignore

@item
A free ICQ-compatible server program.  (The ICQ server itself is not
free software.)
@end ignore

@ignore
@c if anyone knows what this means please send email to [e-mail]
@item
Free software like Stalker for operating a web server for email
services.
@end ignore

@end itemize

@node Encryption Projects, Other Projects, Network Projects, Top
@chapter Encryption Projects

These projects need to be written outside the US by people who are not
US citizens, to avoid problems with US export control law.

@itemize @bullet
@ignore
@c libcrypt is doing this.
@item
A free library for public-key encryption.  This library can probably be
developed from the code for the GNU Privacy Guard.
@end ignore

@ignore
@item
@c GNUtls is doing this.
An implementation of SSLv3 (more precisely, TLSv1) which has
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
starting point.
@end ignore

@ignore
@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)
@item
Free software for doing secure commercial transactions on the web.
This should be based on libgcrypt and GNUtls.
@end ignore

@end itemize

@node Other Projects, Languages, Encryption Projects, Top
@chapter Other Projects

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.

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.

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
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

@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.

@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

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 [e-mail] 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.

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

@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 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.

Defending cities from missiles.
@item
Plane shoots at lots of other planes, tanks, etc.
@item
Wizard fights fanciful monsters.
@ignore Peter Sundling [e-mail] expressed interest in this.
@item
A golf game.
@ignore Being done by [e-mail]
@item
Program a robot by sticking building blocks together,

@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:  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: