Re: Translators (Re: State of the X clipboard, and perhaps a solution)

[Jerry Haltom <wasabi larvalstage net>]

> Well, I know this might be abit far out, but ...
> 
> How about implementing a translator framework, a bit like known 
> from BeOS? Every application would provide modules to the 
> system that allow its internal data representations to be 
> transformed to other formats. These modules could be run 
> independently from the apps, so that a module could be used 
> to hold the clipboard content after an application is closed 
> (realy closed!).
> 
> Such a framework would also allow much greater import/export 
> capabilities. 

I have the tendency to think this is a non starter in the FOSS area.
There is no way we can get EVERYBODY (and it would take everybody, for
it to be a consistent copy/paste experience) to write separate external
copy/paste modules.

This has to work with non-Gnome apps for it to be ideal. Using a simple
X protocol is a very good way to achieve that. One of the constants of
this discussion really is that the program that owns it's data is the
only authoritative source for converting that data to another format.

One of the items that would be on my wish list is to be able to open up
ANY format image in The GIMP, select any region of it, and paste it into
ANY other program. This means GIMP would have to advertise converter
support for all 100 formats it supports or something. But the great
apart about leaving it up to The Gimp, is it already has those plug-ins,
and they're already loaded into memory.

-- 
Jerry Haltom <wasabi larvalstage net>

Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html