What Features Should the Default Code REALLY include?

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by SlimBoJones

I think all the code to do these complex functions should be MADE OPENLY AVAILABLE, similar to how the default IR code was made available this year. ... It would be nice to have all the code snippets that have accrued on chiefdelphi.com and in various code repositories rolled onto a CD which is included in the kit =)

Not to hijack the thread, but let me go off on a tangent for a minute. I think that the core of the idea mentioned above is great. We need to establish an environment where teams are able to grab modules of software to perform advanced functions for their robots. Rookie and veteran teams could share both algorithms and specific code segments. Teams can help each other with their software designs in much the same way that we currently share hardware designs. But to do this, rather than include a CD in the kit, it would be preferable to have an on-line library of open source software that can be continuously updated and expanded as more teams make use of the resource. Think along the lines of a SorceForge.net library for IFI-FIRST software to go along with the openFIRST project already in place.

If we can establish something like that (and yes, some of us are already talking with FIRST about the idea of an officially-supported open source project, so stay tuned!) then we could see a significant number of function modules becoming available to all teams. The teams could then pick and choose what they need based on their particular robot designs.

To get this effort started, it would be wonderful to have an initial set of modules to populate the library that would be useful to just about every team. So now back to Joe's original question, with a slight twist. If IFI-FIRST provided default code that cleanly supported the ability to drop in library module calls, what types of functions would we want to have? Joe's list of "good practices" makes a lot of sense - I would accept all these in the "we gotta have 'em" class. Modules to support common sensing functions (IR detect, time-of-flight IR, sonar, contact sensing, photo detectors, shaft encoders, capaciflective proximity sensing, etc.) similar to the IR code from Kevin Watson would be useful. But what else?

-dave

p.s. perhaps even more important, in addition to thinking about what modules you would like to see, start thinking about what modules you could CONTRIBUTE!