Re: ABI and API for g_object_ref_sink() (Re: GTK_FLOATING broken in 2.9?)

[Yevgen Muntyan <muntyan tamu edu>]

Tim Janik wrote:

> ok so there is a reason. a desire (by multiple users and projects
> actually) to implement that flag and a possibility (as was found out
> in the original thread on this subject already).

Nobody so far said that objects with floating reference in glib is not 
needed.
But what about Murray idea, to create separate class; or, along same lines,
control presence of floating reference somehow on class base? ("Along
same lines" meaning "do not break it!")

What I am worrying about is this:
1) Introducing floating references in GObject causes problems, and they 
will
be worked around by adding for-gtk stuff in glib (!!!).
2) Due to maintaining ABI/API stability GTK won't be able to use
(GtkObject -> GObject is pointless, GtkObject is still there and it does 
its job,
and GtkObject doesn't benefit from moving floating reference to GObject) new
floating reference feature without deprecating some old api (just silly).
3) After 1,2 gtk developers will start breaking gtk more and more,
and will do it in such a way that gnome won't break or will fix problems as
they arise. And my application will break immediately.

So far problems I've had with different versions of gtk (except usual bugs)
were lack of new api in old versions (quite natural, of course :) ). But 
now
I fear that I cannot develop my application on older versions of gtk and be
sure it will work on newer. Yes, it's the famous "ABI/API compatibility"
which should be maintained and everything, but it seems to me
that this compatibility is going to direction "we break it and fix so 
our stuff
still works (but of course we can fix our stuff too)".
The "we fix it" part is not good. It just doesn't work for *me*. And I 
believe
I am describing potential (which is going to be actual in gtk-2.10?) 
problem
of more than one non-mainstream-developer.
Of course you can say "File a bug report and we fix it". It's fine, but 
users
usually have old GTK (very old sometimes), not the latest. Some poor users
who do not pretend to be 'ahckers' or 'geeeks' do not run Ubuntu Diarea
or whatever it's called.

Sorry for being pessimistic,
Yevgen