It won't really be a fork since I plan on making one more release, then I'm unlikely to touch the code again. So really, your development will be the active development.
I would prefer that you use a different name unless you are interested in providing strict compatibility with the current Pduino. Things like using namespace prefixes are one example of compatibility that it sounds like you are not interested in, for example. Pduino deliberately uses namespace prefixes because that's currently the only way to guarantee the correct object is being loaded. Using [declare -lib zexy] [makesymbol] does not currently guarantee that (tho it should).
.hc
On Mar 3, 2012, at 6:47 AM, Roman Haefeli wrote:
Hi Hans
On Fri, 2012-03-02 at 08:55 -0800, Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:
I'm happy to see you working on this. Since you are making a new version, perhaps it makes sense to change the names. Like maybe it makes sense to change the object from [arduino] to [firmata]? That's something I thought about doing in the past. This would also make it easier for testers going forward because they could keep the old Pduino installed and also use your new library. I suppose then the library would be called something besides Pduino too.
But if you want to keep those names, that's fine by me.
Actually, I prefer not to host a separate version/fork. I think the design of the protocol and its implementation in [arduino] is solid and I haven't messed at all with it. Our efforts for [arduino] were mainly focused on smallish issues with usability and portability. Our plans are to eventually push it into Debian as pd-arduino. For that goal, some changes like getting rid of name-spaced objects (for instance: [zexy/makesymbol], doesn't work in Debian with pd-zexy) and some other stuff were necessary. Plus, it got a bug fixed Ingo discovered a while ago. Still, the overall changes to [arduino] itself are rather smallish and I wouldn't expect any severe bugs. Also, I think we tested it quite well.
The main effort, however, went into documentation and [arduino-gui] and to figure out the tiny details and differences between the several Firmata versions around in order to make the help-patch consistent as documentation and [arduino-gui] consistent in its behaviour. I consider the updated help-patch a significant improvement (in that it covers all features of the firmware, is clear in which pin supports which mode, explains the differences in different firmware versions) and I wouldn't see a reason to keep to old one living.
Personally, I'd much prefer not to host a separate fork and I am all for joining forces, not separating them. With your consent, I'd like to push the new version to the svn repository. We could wait to do so, until we got some positive reports from a few people, of course. There is really no hurry. Also, I'd take responsibility for any issues and bugs related to Pduino (if that is what you want; I don't plan any 'hostile take-over').
Finally, if we eventually agree on merging our git Pduino with the official pd-svn/externals/hardware/arduino, I'd like to bump the Pduino version to the Firmata version. As I understand, [arduino] is a plain implementation of the Firmata protocol, not less, not more. I think it would make sense to reflect the version of the protocol it implements in its own version. We could still add a bug-fix number, so changes to [arduino] without switching the prococol version could be reflected. Something like
2.3.1 | | | | | Pduino bugfix version | protocol minor version protocol major version
What do you think?
Roman
"[W]e have invented the technology to eliminate scarcity, but we are deliberately throwing it away to benefit those who profit from scarcity." -John Gilmore