[BioPython] what should I do next?

[Brad Chapman]

Hey Andrew;

>  I was wondering who here might be using Python for bioinformatics
> soon.  I ask because I've been working on the code I proposed to
> be part of the biopython core, and I really would like to work with
> people using it so I can see what needs to be changed and improved.

I'm just getting into bioinformatics (coming from a molecular 
biology background), so right now biopython programming is a also a 
hobby in suppliment to my "regular" lab work. Saying that, I am 
planning to be using Biopython, but am probably not the kind of person 
you are wanting to help drive your programming :-)

>  That is, what should I work on next?  I have framework for all
> sorts of sequence analysis tools, there's some existing parsing
> code of Jeff's, 

I personally would like to see all of the biopython code integrated so 
that Jeff's parsers tie in with your sequence classes. I don't know 
how you and Jeff feel about this though?

> there's the corba interface.  

Right now I'm integrating the existing corba server with your sequence 
code so that it actually does something :) To support this idl, it 
would be nice to see more support for parsing different file types 
(besides just Fasta files) and to add code to work with sequence 
features (so we can support the sequence feature and sequence feature 
iterator interfaces). In addition, there is also the interface for 
database searching... So I guess if nothing else, I would be 
interested in seeing more support for the corba interface and for 
building this up. This would hopefully also provide us with some 
testing of the code from the bioperl and biojava folks. Just my 
thoughts on stuff.
 
>  I'm also doing this in hope of real employment as a contractor,
> so if anyone wants to pay me for this, please contact me :)

Sorry, us graduate students aren't often found with piles of extra 
cash lying around. :-)

Brad