Proposal for new src/Imaging architecture

[Silvano <silvanociru gmail com>]

I'm trying to contribute to resolve the bug 166038
(http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=166038), but while writing
a patch I realized that the architecture of the image handling part of
F-Spot (files in directory src/Imaging) doesn't fit for that matter.
That's why I want to propose some changes.

F-Spot's is focused on managing photos and the physical container for
a photo is mainly a single file. Therefore F-Spot in its present
architecture directly identifies a photo with a single file. Most
actions to be taken over a photo are taken through the ImageFile class
or one of its subclasses (JpegFile, for example), but some other
actions to be taken over a photo are directly taken over the file
containing the photo (like when a photo is copied to the directories
structure proposed by F-Spot). In the actual architecture of F-Spot
this assumption is simply right.

But what happens if we want a photo to be considered more than a
single file? For example, a photo with some associated sound. In this
case there is a file with the photo and another one (I'll call this
file "a backpack file") containing the sound.

I'm working on a patch with two things in mind:
- That F-Spot is able of managing photos that carry backpack files with them.
- Adding an extra abstraction level that enables F-Spot managing all
kind of files that a digital photo camera can generate (mainly photos
and videos).
Or simply said, resolving the bug 166038 :) And I would like to know
what do you think about it. As I already said, I'm working on it (but
very slowly) and I'll deliver the first draft as soon as it's ready.

I suppose that some people don't agree with the idea of adding
video/sound support to F-Spot. Nevertheless, I want to give it a try,
if not for the trunk, at least for myself.

Cheers,
Silvano

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