RE: What is GNOME office?

["Joaquin Cuenca Abela" <cuenca celium net>]

Sam TH wrote:

> On Sat, Nov 18, 2000 at 01:19:02PM -0500, Miguel de Icaza wrote:
> >
> > Havoc has presented a lucid explanation of the issues on XP toolkits.
> > Any chance we can get Abi to use Gtk+ as the main toolkit, and
> > encourage ports by having the underlying Gtk+ ported over your
> > favorite platform?
>
> A while back, Abi was ported to GTK+ on Windows.  I don't know if that
> still works, as no one uses it currently.  But it is certainly
> feasible.  We would welcome people providing the code to allow GTK+
> builds on more platforms than we have currently.

no, if I remember correctly Abi was ported to GTK+ on Windows *trough* a
windows X server (ie, the port didn't use the gtk+ port to windows, but the
cygwin stuff + a X server).

> However, it seems like you are asking us to quite providing native
> front ends, and only use GTK+.  Of that, there is no chance.

Just wondering, Sam, do you have any technical reason?

Havoc has point out a problem with the current design.  We're getting more
"featured" in the gnome-frontend that in the {Windows,BeOS,QNX}-frontend.
For instance, now AbiWord can export to pdf only in the gnome-frontend, it
has nice icons in the menu items only in the gnome-frontend, the toolbar can
be placed vertically only in the gnome-frontend, it has a "print preview"
only in the gnome-frontend, etc.

If we want to have all these features in the others frontends, we must to
code it one time per toolkit.  I think that it will be smarter to just code
to a multiplatform toolkit, and achieve the platform specific look with a
theme.  Swing shows beautifully what can be achieved (just multiply by 10
his speed, and improve a bit his "windows" theme, and you get a killer
multiplatform toolkit).

Of course, I'm speaking of a post 1.0 change.  And before all that becomes
possible, we need:

1) "acceptable" ports of gtk+ to windows, BeOS and QNX (the Abi supported
platforms)
2) "acceptable" themes for each platform
3) idem for gnome (if we want to use the gnome platform)
4) the change has to be accepted by the current Abiword developers
(specially interesting will be the opinion of Thomas --which ported AbiWord
to QNX and BeOS--)
5) work, work, work

So, what do you think? what are you're reasons again this change?

Cheers,

--
Joaquin Cuenca Abela
cuenca celium net