[Desktop_architects] Portland: The Linux DesktopIntegrationInterface

Brooks, Phil phil_brooks at mentor.com
Mon Dec 5 08:16:02 PST 2005


 
> this is not a widget set problem, but a desktop services issue. i
understand 
> how ISVs can get this confused due to how clearly we communicate the
design 
> of things to them ;) but it really has nothing to do with widget sets.

It seems like one thing that is needed is some sort of PR campaign as
well as
some sort of solid work that makes this more apparent.

Some short term ideas independent of project Portland:

o Make sure that the docs for the two desktops are more agnostic about
library
  implementations.  I see this on the Gnome frontpage:

    GNOME developers can come up to speed with the building blocks of
GNOME 
    development: the GLib, GTK+, and GNOME API's.

  KDE seems to be off the air this morning, but I don't imagine that I
would 
  need to go too far to find something similar with respect to Qt.

o Have each desktop implement some sort of example application on the
other
  desktop's libraries.  Such an app might also be a good testing ground
for 
  newly refactored common Desktop services.

o Make it clear to users and developers for either desktop that, in the 
  long term, choosing Qt or GLib, GTK+ doesn't end up choosing the 
  desktop.  

o Also make it clear where there are currently limitations with library
  compatibility might be.  As an ISV, I generally go for lowest level 
  common functionality and avoid non-portable pieces if at all possible
  simply by doing without them.  If it is clear where the limitations of
  Qt on Gnome and GLib/GTK+ on KDE are, but that the picture for both 
  will improve over time, I can then focus on choosing the libraries
that
  are best suited for my application.


Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: desktop_architects-bounces at lists.osdl.org
[mailto:desktop_architects-bounces at lists.osdl.org] On Behalf Of Aaron J.
Seigo
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 2:23 AM
To: desktop_architects at lists.osdl.org
Subject: Re: [Desktop_architects] Portland: The Linux
DesktopIntegrationInterface

On Sunday 04 December 2005 23:01, Brooks, Phil wrote:
> I wonder if it would be possible, from both a marketing viewpoint, and
a
> technical viewpoint, to remove the widget set preference for the
desktops
> as far as hosted ISV applications are concerned.

this is not a widget set problem, but a desktop services issue. i
understand 
how ISVs can get this confused due to how clearly we communicate the
design 
of things to them ;) but it really has nothing to do with widget sets.

so how do we address the issue of desktop service commonality? here's
what i 
would suggest:

	- normalize implementations of desktop services via
FreeDesktop.org 
	- get Project Portland rolling to allow access to these services
without 
requiring ISVs to use a specific toolkit

we need to do both because even if KDE and GNOME do get our ducks in a
row via 
FreeDesktop.org, there are still N other ways to write software that
runs on 
open source desktops and Project Portland helps those people. as Project

Portland helps address that issue, we need the FreeDesktop.org efforts
to 
create consistency for the ISV's users.

i believe this was reflected in the conversations and outcomes of last
week's 
DA meeting. please correct anything that is off base here =)

-- 
Aaron J. Seigo
GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA  EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43

Full time KDE developer sponsored by Trolltech
(http://www.trolltech.com)




More information about the Desktop_architects mailing list