Re: gripes, etc.

[Sean Middleditch <sean middleditch iname com>]

Karl Nelson wrote:

> [...]
> > I dunno, but I think it'd be a great resource to look into.  Perhaps if
> > the GNOME C++ wrappers get decent enough soon (soon as in developer time
> > soon, which eally isn't soon, but soon enough anyhows) someone could
> > make a direct port of KDevelop to GNOME.
>
> Four people have worked over the gnomelibs C++ bindings in the last week
> and the results are far more stable and polished that we ever achieved
> before.  Assuming a few necessary patchs to GNOME make it in, there will
> be at least some sort of C++ binding for gtk+ and gnomeui in GNOME 1.4.
> Use of things like GNOME MDI, canvas and App all run in demos well.  The
> Gtk C++ bindings are usable but the Gdk bindings are quite defective.
> These problems unfortunately can't be addressed in a stable version
> because C++ mangling issues.  Seeing as gtk+ 2.0 is not all that far
> off our current efforts for stable are limited to fixing the
> really broken things in the gnome-libs wrappers.  Active developement
> to the 1.3 port will begin as soon as the remaining major underlying
> changes (gobject) is done.

Hmm, as for the mangling issue, for callbacks, what about using C callbacks
that interact with the C++ code?  I've seen a few programs that do this,
though I haven't much done anything like that myself (no real need for any of
my projects).  I also recently saw a library on Freshmeat for callbacks that
I believe handled C++/C interoperability, so maybe a search on Freshmeat for
something like "C++ callbacks" or whatnot would turn it up... It could be
useful, no?

> Assuming there is sufficient interest within GNOME, Gtk-- will
> be fully operations and improved for GNOME 2.0.
> If anyone finds things which they feel are just totally broken, done
> the wrong way, or there is a better implementation,  I invite
> you to drop by the gtkmm mailling list to discuss ways to fix it.
> Seeing as we are at the start of the development cycle now is the
> best time to fix it.

I haven't much used gtkmm.  Perhaps I'll take a look at it in my all too
sparse spare time.  The GTK/GNOME API is really nice, but C just isn't my
thing... ~,^

> --Karl