Re: Sort-of Announce: Gnet, a network library

[Havoc Pennington <hp redhat com>]

David Helder <dhelder@umich.edu> writes:
> I'm sort-of releasing my network library Gnet (README included below).  I
> thought that before I release it officially I should ask the GTK and Gnome
> folks whether I should:
> 
> a) Propose Gnet for inclusion in GNOME.  GNOME could use a good network
> library.  (But, Gnet may be too high-level and I don't see a network
> library on the roadmap.)
>

The current meaning of "include in GNOME" seems to be simply that you
work closely with GNOME application developers, are on GNOME CVS, keep
up with the GNOME release schedule when necessary, and at least
seriously consider following each of the GNOME programming guidelines.
We aren't tending to stick things in gnome-libs (gdk-pixbuf, bonobo,
gconf, oaf, libglade, libxml, all the next-generation stuff is
separated from gnome-libs).
 
gnet is small enough that it might be worth just stuffing in another
library, but I'd like to see at least a couple core applications using
it before deciding to put it in gnome-libs.

Based on the docs (which are done nicely in GNOME-ish docbook) you're
already following our conventions. My only suggestion would be to put
"gnet_" on the front of all symbols so you don't use so many
namespaces and it's easy to see which library the symbols are coming
from.

> b) Propose Gnet for inclusion in the Glib/GTK+ "suite".  Gnet is low level
> and aims for portability, so may be good to include it in this group.  
> Gnet is built on Glib.
> 

Remember that glib/GTK run on Windows etc. and generally don't require
UNIX network stuff - you need cross-platform not just portable. Anyway
gnet is probably too specialized for these libs.

> c) Keep Gnet as a separate library.  Rename Gnet to something else to
> avoid confusion.
> 

I don't see a need to rename it, though again I'd make the name more
pervasive. If your prefix is "gnet_" you aren't infringing on glib
namespace, their prefix is "g_".

I'd say you're welcome to use CVS (mail miguel and ask) and if you
want gnet to be part of GNOME the best way is to get it used inside
GNOME, either by hacking existing apps to use it or getting some
application authors to adopt it for their in-development apps.

Havoc