Re: GConf vs. bonobo-config

[Miguel de Icaza <miguel ximian com>]

> Can you (or someone else) explains what is inherently bad with a C API ?
> I assume the opinion taken here is that it need to be wrapped to be used
> by Bonobo. I understand that Gconf is a configuration system interface.
> If this is the case it should be a low level API IMHO so it is reusable
> without the need to stack up too many layers of code to be able to read
> configuration options.

GConf applications require a non-local daemon to be running.  The
communication between the client application and the daemon is done
through CORBA.  Same with BonoboConfig.

If they are both depending on CORBA, and they both require an external
daemon, and this external daemon is in both cases CORBA, a C API is
just limiting your client applications because you have to wrap the
API, something that you would get for free if you just used a sane
interface for your daemon (it is still there).

>   An it seems you *have to* use Bonobo for any access too. This is a very
> significant shift in the API level.

You use a CORBA interface (called PropertyBag) to talk to the
configuration server.   Just like, say, GConf does.

>   The beauty of the code lives in its usefulness too. Isn't that decision
> making really hard (or tricky) to read the configuration options when not
> coding on top of Bonobo ?

No.

>   I understand that you want to see a programming shift for more reuse
> of the component system, I agree it helps writing apps, but pieces of
> code at a lower level may need access to a lower API for configuration
> options. Sounds to me the API is more useful if written in C with CORBA
> and Bonobo interfaces on top of it (i.e. wrappers as Havoc says).

GConf just has a C API for a poorly designed configuration engine, and
a poorly designed storage.  Bonobo-Conf fixes those two, and the
"bonobo" library provides a "wrapper" API just like GConf does for the
C stuff.

But you can still use PropertyBags naturally from Perl, Python or any
other language with CORBA support without any wrapping (because their
corba bindings are a lot saner)

Miguel.