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Re: Fwd: Python plugin for pcbnew

 

On 03/11/2014 09:10 AM, Jean-Samuel Reynaud wrote:
> Le 11/03/2014 14:25, Dick Hollenbeck a écrit :
>>
>> Here at my company, we simply use the "Kicad" plugin on a NFS server.  The pretty dirs are
>> all on a simple Ubuntu file server running nfs.  That plugin works pretty well in a
>> multi-user environment, benefiting from the fact that each footprint is in a separate file
>> thus reducing the possibility of multiple users fighting each other on edits.  There may
>> be some small improvements possible WRT to multi-user in the Kicad plugin, but it already
>> works well.
>>
>> Can you explain why the Kicad plugin does not meet your needs?  Is the central server not
>> in-house?
>>
>> I want to understand what problems you think your solution addresses that the stock
>> plugins do not.
>>
> 
> In fact our users are not alway on same site as the server. Some time it
> can become difficult to have nfs connection.
> Also I'm not sure to use a local server, perhaps we will use a server
> somewhere on a datacenter.
> An other point is about editing, I want to manage right and rules for
> editing/adding/delete (this could be done by a NFS server, it's ok).
> I think that I can do somethink like this with a webdav server but it
> will always need to be dependent to the
> computed configuration (webdav/nfs mounting) and a network connection.
> And last point, I want also that the plugin handle an offline mode with
> a local cache.
> Currently we work with a subversion repository for footprints. So we
> have "like a local cache" but sometime users forgot to update/commit/add...
> I want to make this completly transparent with this plugin...
> At the beginning, I had take a look at the github plugin. This plugin is
> realy good but it does not allow (as I understand) to work
> with an other server than github.


Or any server that can return a zip file.  I think that would have been a better starting
point.  Some other ideas, some of which compete with each other:


a) You can also rent a private repo on github, and augment the github plugin to do
"writing/saving".

b) The COW support in a Github plugin *derivative* could probably serve as a local cache.
 Some logic changes might be needed.

c) Write a server that returns a *.zip file.  You could use either http or https.  Augment
it with "Save()" support.  Augment a GITHUB_PLUGIN derivative with Save() support.


It will be difficult to match the performance of the current plugins, using an XML based
payload.  This mostly will be noticeable on Load()s.


> Anyway, new pretty format will help me for creating this.


It would be my recommendation to Wayne and Jean-Pierre not to include this server source
code in this project at this time.  I encourage you to share your work however in a
separate project.

(I don't think you want me between you and your xml-rpc repo. I don't have any love for
xml-rpc, at all, or the idea that kicad needs its own server.)

Sorry I do not share your vision, but I do wish you success.

Dick





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