hermit thanks.
ebastler At this point over 2/3 of our code is different from the mainline of pcb and we are starting our own tool to replace geda. At the start of that process we most likely won't be compatible with gEDA in terms of schematic or symbol format. Rather than spam their communications channels with our stuff we want to do have our own space.
If you are going to create your own schematics software then please don't make the mistake by making a symbol the center of a component! That is completely wrong. What would be ideal is to have the components in a database (sqlite for example) and each component record connects a symbol with a footprint, a value, manufacturer part number, manufacturer, etc. Then that component record can easely be extended to have an internal part number, order code, etc. Look for Orcad Capture CIS videos for further details. IMHO one of the biggest problems with the low end CAD packages is that you have to create a bill-of-materials by hand (which is prone to errors) because the component management system has been setup wrong. If you have the components in a database it is very easy to create a BOM with the right part number, order codes with one mouse click.