Re: [SIP-devel] I just join the SIP mailing list

[Ricardo F. <rf...@gm...>]

>     I'm so glad to join the SIP mailing list. I want to do something for
> SIP. I'm reading the SIP source code recently, and have had a basic
> understanding of the structure of SIP. Now I'm doing some small changes
> of source code in order to have a better understanding of the interfaces
> among SIP, Animal and Scilab.

Excellent. there is a very simple toolbox having the same build
structure as SIP,
maybe you would like to take a look at that too:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=3D68055&package_id=3D=
83851

>     Thanks for Ricardo's enthusiastic reply, if you need me to do some
> work for Windows port, just let me know. What I want to do is to involve
> SIP development as soon as possible.

Sure. Try to compile the simple toolbox first. I did it already and it work=
s.
The whole instrunctions are at:
http://siptoolbox.sourceforge.net/devel/windows-port.php

>     After a rough reading of source code, I have some immature ideas
> about SIP as follows:
> 1) Should we adopt MagickWand API instead of the MagickCore API? Since
> MagickWand API is easier to use.

Sure. I did not use it because this API was unstable back then (it had
just been created). Nowadays it surely can be used.

> 2) Should we divide mogrify() into small independent functions? Because
> I think the functions of mogrify() is too many. The source code of
> mogrify is too long (more than 1000 lines).

You mean to modularize the C code? Yes, that should be done.

> 3) Should we integrate Animal library into SIP? The independence of
> Animal may add extra difficulty to port to other platforms.

Actually it simplifies the port process because you can just port
Animal without needing to compile any Scilab module. And, after that,
you port SIP.


Other things that could be done are:

- Put SIP into CVS (another developer should be doing that but I have
not heard from him in a week or so). For this, first we have to put
the simple toolbox into CVS (just to get some practice). After all
developers approve the simple toolbox CVS repository, then we move on
to SIP and Animal.

- Release a new Unix source and binary (version 0.4.0). The current
version is a release candidate. This would give you experience in
making releases.

Of course, you could do more fun activities such as programming algorithms,
that is totally up to you. But the above tasks are the most important
for us currently.

thanks for your disposition,
and always feel free to ask any questions to the list.
--=20
Ricardo Fabbri

PhD Student in Computer Engineering / Computer Vision
LEMS - Laboratory for Engineering Man-Machine Systems
Brown University, USA