Re: A desperate plea to the GTK developers

[Raymond Wan <rwan cs mu oz au>]

On Sat, 16 Mar 2002 layabouts the-giant-sofa demon co uk wrote:
> How does anyone actually learn how to make an application
> using this toolkit when the most fundamental information
> simply isn't written anywhere? And sadly, after what I am told
> is a three year wait, the API docs have the same gaping holes
> in them!

Hi,

	Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I personally learned GTK+
1.2 from a book:

Developing Linux Applications with GTK+ and GDK
by Eric Harlow

	There's another book available by Havoc, but I never saw it as it
wasn't available at my local library.

	I've since ported my code to 1.3.X (now, 2.0) and I did that
through examples in the directory.  I do look at the online API docs
(which are also available with the software as HTML files) from time to
time, but I certainly don't depend on them as much as you seem to.  I've
seen the gaps which you mention, but they didn't bother me.

	I don't consider myself to be too old, but perhaps a little
old-fashioned since I prefer books over online docs.  Even if you print
docs out, they tend to disappear on my desk, but a book is never lost
(unless sometime borrows it from you and forgets to return it :-) ).
Also, many people seem to take writing books more seriously than writing
online docs since with docs, you can go back and update them anytime; with
books...you can't change them once they've gone to the printers -- so, I
sort of expect them to be more correct.

	As for widget signals, I have to admit that I don't understand
them 100% (since I skimmed that section :-) ), but you don't need to
understand how a car works to drive it.  I knew enough to get the examples
working and then added my stuff around / over it.

	Good luck!

Ray

PS:  To the GTK+ developers, looking forward to whatever GTK+ book comes
out for 2.0.  :-)