RE: Order of widgets when displayed on top of each other

[Murray Cumming Comneon com]

> From: Paul Davis [mailto:paul linuxaudiosystems com] 
> >It's hard to get stuff into GTK+ because GTK+ has very high 
> quality levels.
> 
> it does for additions. yet we've had misdesigned stuff like the combo
> and the file selector around for years.

Well, they had to start somewhere. It really is much better now. I happen to
know that you are just getting started with GTK+ 2, so you maybe don't know
how much better organised things are now.

> that's where the paradox lies:
> i love the high standards for additions, but it wasn't applied to the
> first round of widgets GTK+ got. ok, i understand the rationale: "we
> know its bad, but we're not replacing with something that isn't really
> good". net result: misdesigned widgets that live for years.

Do you have an alternative? Would you like to add more not-good-enough stuff
in the meantime? What's wrong with not-good-enough temporary solutions
living in extra libraries until they are good enough?

> but when there is no sign that you can ever succeed in adding a widget
> unless you are part of the core team, the motivation to try is a bit
> hard to come up with. and that really *is* my perception: if you're
> not owen or havoc or tim, don't bother thinking you can add a new
> widget to GTK+. i know i'm not the only person who thinks this,
> although i'm open to the possibility that its wrong.

No, other people are making very significant contributions. The core coders
will take time to give you detailed critiques and tell you how to move
forward. It's up to you (people in general) to then do the work that they
suggest. There is no alternative to doing the work.

Murray Cumming
murrayc usa net
www.murrayc.com