Re: GConf debate ... the hermenutical key.

[Dietmar Maurer <dietmar ximian com>]

Sander Vesik wrote:

> On 17 Jun 2001, Havoc Pennington wrote:
>
> >
> > Miguel de Icaza <miguel ximian com> writes:
> > > We are talking GNOME 2.0 here.  And we have broken more APIs for this
> > > release that I can list in the next couple of hours (speaking of Gtk+
> > > only here).
> >
> > My point is that if bonobo-config is a wrapper, there's simply no
> > reason to break the API. Or the implementation.
> >
> > > Few applications use GConf and it would take little effort to migrate
> > > them to a better system.  The only limitation to do such migration
> > > would be pride.
> >
> > First we have to establish that we have a better system. ;-)
> >
>
> Another thing - people still working on getting their application ready
> and doing so on gnome-1.4 can very esily make use of gconf and then when
> moving to gnome-2.0 just not touch that part of the code - essentially
> foregoing the need to retest a non-trivial part of their programs
> (preferences).
>
> I would really hestitate putting the requirement 'must use bonobo-config
> for configuration' as a requirement for application in gnome-2.0
> especially as gconf is (and to the best of my knowledge, has been there
> for a while) - whatever the ultimate direction in configuration management
> for GNOME is.

They current approach does not force someone to anything. Instead it is a
step to be independent of the configuration system, since we only defined a
client side CORBA API to access configuration data. This is the main point
you do not understand.

> It is in my opinion very unlikely that gnome-2.0 will not be a mix (at
> best) of gconf and bonobo-config and I'm not sure even suggesting
> application developers/maintainsers that adding port to bonobo-config is a
> prudent advice.

What you suggest is to keep the gconf API. I would agree if you say we need
that for compatibility reason. But instead you want application developers to
continue using that interface, instead of using a clean client side CORBA API
to access configuration.

But I am really getting tired to explain why it is better to use a CORBA
interface. Feel free to use whatever you want.

- Dietmar