[ANNOUNCE] Seventh development release of PythonCAD available

[Art Haas]

I'd like to announce the seventh development release of PythonCAD,
a CAD package for open-source software users. As the name implies,
PythonCAD is written entirely in Python. The goal of this project is
to create a fully scriptable drafting program that will match and eventually
exceed features found in commercial CAD software. PythonCAD is released
under the GNU Public License (GPL).

PythonCAD requires Python 2.2. The interface is GTK 2.0 based,
and uses the PyGTK module for interfacing to GTK. The design of
PythonCAD is built around the idea of separating the interface
from the back end as much as possible. By doing this, it is hoped
that both GNOME and KDE interfaces can be added to PythonCAD through
usage of the appropriate Python module. Addition of other interfaces
will depend on the availability of a Python module for that particular
interface and developer interest and action.

The seventh release adds the ability to draw tangent construction circles
against one or two other construction objects, and the ability to easily
draw a construction line tangent to two construction circles. The drawing
of parallel construction lines has been simplified with the addition of
a menu choice for doing this task. There are numerous internal code
cleanups and revisions, and a large number of changes that moved more
code into the interface neutral code directory. These code changes will
hopefully make it easier for developers to add new interfaces to PythonCAD.
Many bug fixes and code improvements have been added as well.

PythonCAD now also has the first iteration of a command interpreter thanks
to the work of David Broadwell. Future releases of PythonCAD will build
on the work he has contributed to make it easier to use PythonCAD by typing
commands in the entry field at the bottom of the screen.

Between the sixth and seventh release a mailing list for developing and
using PythonCAD has been set up thanks to Barry Warsaw. The mailing list
home is found at:

http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/pythoncad

This page has instructions for joining the mailing list and web archives
of the list postings.

I'd like to publicly acknowledge and thank the developers and maintainers
of PyChecker for the work they've done in developing this most useful
tool. PyChecker is an effective tool for identifying errors in Python
code, and I've been using it more and more. PyChecker gets a big recommendation
from me and so I say thank you to the people who make it available.

http://pychecker.sourceforge.net/

Visit the PythonCAD web site for more information about what PythonCAD
does and aims to be:

http://www.pythoncad.org/

Come and join me in developing PythonCAD into a world class drafting
program!

Art Haas
-- 
Man once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities
the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind.

-Thomas Jefferson to James Smith, 1822