On 08/07/2013 05:54 PM, Nat Echols wrote:
Personally, if I need to change a chain ID, I can use Coot or pdbset
or many other tools. Writing code for this should only be necessary
if you're processing large numbers of models, or have a spectacularly
misformatted PDB file. Again, I'll repeat what I said before: if it's
truly necessary to view or edit a model by hand or with custom shell
scripts, this often means that the available software is deficient.
PLEASE tell the developers what you need to get your job done; we
can't read minds.
Nat,
I don't think anyone here really means that the only way to change a
chain ID is to write, say, a perl script. But an interpreter of the
kind advocated by James (as much as I have hijacked/misinterpreted his
vision) could indeed be very useful for people pursuing simple
bioinformatics projects and new ways to analyse structural models. While
I understand your view that everyone should seek assistance from
"developers" with every problem encountered, I also recall some
reasonable idea about self-sufficiency that should cover scientific
research (something like "give man a fish and you feed him for a day,
teach him to fish and he starts paying taxes"... something along these
lines ;). There is a difference betweens tools that allow to easily
perform useful non-standard analysis and highly specialized tools that
strive to cover every situation imaginable.
Cheers,
Ed.
--
Oh, suddenly throwing a giraffe into a volcano to make water is crazy?
Julian, King of Lemurs
