X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f
X-Recipient: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:03:31 -0800
From: Larry Doolittle <ldoolitt AT recycle DOT lbl DOT gov>
To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: [geda-user] Data Sheets
Message-ID: <20130116210331.GA9559@recycle.lbl.gov>
References: <87wqvhd4tw DOT fsf AT gmail DOT com>
 <kd21ao$j6j$1 AT ger DOT gmane DOT org>
 <20130115013756 DOT 9917 DOT qmail AT stuge DOT se>
 <CAOP4iL0yLZ-gvovCy5zCmJyjOXUUaoOB5U1+6CqcD20BM15FiQ AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
 <50F4E4D1 DOT 3010802 AT ecosensory DOT com>
 <CAOP4iL1f=3TV5UKUjyJtpUw_5oBDxpk=5S2F=dEcUC2UYiNhVQ AT mail DOT gmail DOT com>
 <878v7uv4gl DOT fsf AT gmail DOT com>
 <50F58A89 DOT 1040004 AT ecosensory DOT com>
 <20130115172850 DOT GA5543 AT recycle DOT lbl DOT gov>
 <kd71lp$fj3$1 AT ger DOT gmane DOT org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <kd71lp$fj3$1@ger.gmane.org>
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.20 (2009-06-14)
Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
Errors-To: nobody AT delorie DOT com
X-Mailing-List: geda-user AT delorie DOT com
X-Unsubscribes-To: listserv AT delorie DOT com
Precedence: bulk

kaimartin -

On Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 09:13:29PM +0100, Kai-Martin Knaak wrote:
> Larry Doolittle wrote:
> > I recommend only storing meta-information about the datasheets:
> > upstream URL, 
> 
> Unfortunately, companies tend to change their datasheet repo every other 
> year.

Depends on the company.  I've had pretty good luck.

> Worse, some designs get transferred to other companies, the whole 
> company seizes to exist, or it gets ingested by some bigger fish. A few 
> months later all links become moot. E.g., this happened to all datasheets 
> by national due to the acquisition by Texas Instruments.

Yup.  Or all the churn surrounding NEC and CEL.

> Since there is intellectual property involved, I see only these options: 
> a) store the data sheet locally and keep the repo private.

OK, that's part of plan I laid out: the "possibly private backup".
 
> b) only store the name of the product. Include the essential numbers and 
> data as rewritten text in the doc of the project.

OK, that also is part of the plan I laid out: "whatever index information
is appropriate, like manufacturer and part numbers described".

> c) store a link to the search engine of a third party datasheet archive.

OK, I'm not so familiar with those.  But it fits the category of
"upstream URL, and date fetched".  I guess to be general, my list
should have said "at least one" of those.

I still think an sha1sum of the datasheet that the designer looked
at is helpful.  It can be listed without drawing complaints about
infringing IP, and offers the later reader the hint as to whether
anything changed or not.  It does give a false positive when either
a manufacturer changed and pasted their name over the top of the
old datasheet, or the third party datasheet archiver puts their
advertisement^W cover sheet on the front.

   - Larry