[Glade-devel] Re: libglade vs glade for dialog generation

[Tristan Van Berkom <tristan van berkom gmail com> (Tristan Van Berkom)]

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:37:47 +0100, Gus Koppel
<gtk spamkiller bytechase cx> wrote:
[...]
> Let me briefly sum up, again. Using libglade + XML file instead of Glade
> generated code means, you
> - have more external library dependancies, therefore
> - have higher disk space consumption
> - have greater installation package if it's to be self-contained

This is definitly a point to take into consideration when one is managing
their own embedded distro, we at touchtunes still prefer to use libglade 
because it allows us to update skinsets seperatly from the code and basicly
keep the code clear.

But fair, its a potentialy unnescisary framework for a given context.

> - have higher RAM conumption at application execution time

Only at startup time afaik; Unless your talking about the actual code
segments in memory.

I'm not an expert on OS's but doesn't the OS usualy handle that nicely ?

> - have lower application execution speed (dialog open delays)

Why would you create your dialog from the xml more than once in the 
application ?

Do you have such a complex dialog that its inacceptable to just hide
and keep in memory ?

I guess this is a question one has to ask whether you are hardcoding it
or not.

> - should write extra conviencience funtions to compensate libglade's
>   deficencies.

Here I really dont follow, libglade hardly needs any adjustments to support
new features in gtk, whereas when writing code generation segments, all
that code has to be written by hand.

Now as for a something like "export plugins" solution, I agree with Todd
that its probably the way to go, Implementing a smart plugin interface for
that purpose doesn't scare me; the whole distribution process might be 
a hassle but thats not so bad.


Cheers,
                                                        -Tristan

PS:
    By now this really does belong on the glade list, please excuse
the evil cross-post
Heres a link the the beginning of the thread for anyone on glade-devel
that didn't catch this thread on app-devel:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gtk-app-devel-list/2005-January/msg00148.html