Re: gtk_widget_draw()

[Paul Davis <paul linuxaudiosystems com>]

On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 5:15 AM, Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com> wrote:

> Gtk+ has always followed this model though, it just now does it more
> internally where it previously relied on some support from the windowing
> system.

GTK has historically not composited separately drawn surfaces
together, and has historically had no z-axis. But yes, the fact that
its moving closer and closer to this model is undeniable, and I'm
really excited and glad about that. Hence my original email. What
puzzles me is the mental effort that appears to go into avoiding what
to me seems like the inevitable conclusion of this evolution:
GTK-as-scene-graph. We inherited a very particular mindset from the
early X toolkits, and its taking us a very long time to shake off
their fundamental model of what a toolkit *is*. I just think it would
be cool if instead of accidentally lurching ever closer to
GTK-as-scene-graph, we just made that a more explicit end goal, sort
of as Havoc did in his slides from 2 years ago.

> Generally people have a more detailed requirements when they call things
> a canvas, like being able to view the object/hierarchies transformed,
> and perhaps in multiple places.

Hence Havoc's use of the term "scene graph" which i think is about
equally ambiguous but without the particular connotations that you
refer to.