[Zope] mems-exchange.org Zope work

[Andrew M. Kuchling]

Rob Page writes:
>They use a vertically-oriented frames interface where the left frame
>gives you a list of the steps in the process.  The current step is
>highlighted.  The right frame is where you actually perform the current

We've thought of that, but people don't seem to work in a linear
fashion, and you can't really say that selecting wafer characteristics
comes before or after entering the sequence.  Some people may know
their desired wafers beforehand, others may not know what they want
initially, or may not care very much.

>step.  It looks like these devices are built like sandwiches (how's that
>for a high-tech metaphor).  Knowing what the sandwich looks like at all
>times (i.e., by viewing it in a separate frame) might be handy. (??)

That's pretty correct; papers presenting a new process usually contain
step-by-step diagram that show adding a layer, etching the layer away,
and so forth, in order to build the final structure.  In fact, we want
to write software to generate such diagrams based on your process
sequence.  (That's contingent on our finding staff to work on all this
stuff.)  I suspect drawing a diagram is difficult, though, one of
those messy problems like pretty-printing an arbitrary graph.

-- 
A.M. Kuchling			http://starship.python.net/crew/amk/
When one has stopped loving somebody, one feels that he has become someone
else, even though he is still the same person.
    -- Sei Shonagon, _The Pillow Book_