Re: [gedit-list] Direct color settings removed from gedit?

[Vesa Paatero <vpaatero lavabit com>]

Curtis Hovey wrote:
> On Fri, 2008-10-17 at 23:49 +0300, Vesa Paatero wrote:
>   
> > I just recently upgraded my Ubuntu  distribution to a newer version and 
> > noticed that gedit of the newer version (gedit 2.20.3) doesn't have 
> > something that I the older one (unknown version) did:  Color selectors 
> > for setting text color in Settings. The help page for Font & Colors 
> > Preferences still says (in v2.20.3):
> >     
> Your Ubuntu is still an old version (Gutsy?) I have 2.22.3 for Hardy and
> the beta for Intrepid has 2.24.
>   
Yes, that's right. I postponed the upgrade until the last moments. 
Version 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) is scheduled to phase off on 2008-10-19  
(i.e. today) and, if I got it right, upgrade links will be removed after 
that.
> >      "Click on the Normal text color color button to display the color 
> > selector dialog. Select a color to use to display normal text in the 
> > gedit text window.
> >                  
> >     "Click on the Background color color button to display the color 
> > selector dialog. Select a background color for the gedit text window."
> >
> > But, alas, those buttons are not available anymore.  It seems that the 
> > color model system has replaced the direct settings for text and 
> > background color -- and that's not so good because it pushes the free 
> > color selection beyond the reach of  many ordinary (non-developer) 
> > users. And the four color models available by default show only black 
> > and white for normal text (i.e. not in a programming language mode).
> >     
>
> The colour model for GtkSourceView2 is different, and that is what you
> are seeing with the upgrade to gedit 2.20+ The modern approach presents
> all languages and document formats consistently. See the Highlighting
> section in <http://live.gnome.org/GtkSourceView> for tutorials. 
>
> There are many styles available beyond the default styles that ship with
> gedit
> <http://live.gnome.org/GtkSourceView/StyleSchemes>. You can install them
> in .local/share/gtksourceview-2.0/styles/ (restart gedit to enable them)
>   

OK, thanks for the explanation. This is the first time I hear (read) of 
GtkSourceView, but I conclude that it's the engine that implements color 
formatting for source code in gedit -- and now for non-source code texts 
as well.
   So, to have the simple manual color settings that I was talking 
about, some sort of an exception would be needed for "normal", 
non-source code text. I understand that developers may be reluctant to 
make such an exception (that would increase structural complexity) 
unless they perceive a real need for it.
    I checked all the screenshots available of the styles at 
live.gnome.org/GtkSourceView/StyleSchemes. Since they were primarily 
targetted for programming language use, I don't think there was anything 
that would show normal text as blue or violet/purple on white background.

Well, enough with my complaining!  :-)   I've given my feedback and I'll 
leave it to the developers of gedit to take it into account when 
considering what would be nice in future versions and what wouldn't.  
And this issue also has to do with strategy decisions such as whether 
gedit should primarily serve as every man's notepad or as programmers' tool.

Best Regards,
Vesa