Bindings & Deprecated Stuff

[Frederic Peters <fpeters gnome org>]

[not disturbing the meeting]

Options were:
 - separate module for deprecated stuff
 - --disable-deprecated to build without deprecated symbols
 - deprecation warnings at runtime/buildtime
 - mentions in announcements

Nobody wants the burden to create a new module just for deprecated
stuff, everybody is ok mentioning deprecation plans in announcements.

Language specific notes:

  C++:
   - ABI problem in offering the possibility to build with disabled
     symbols
   - deprecating warning at compilation (already there)

  Python:
    - --disable-deprecated and runtime warnings doable (not done)

  Java:
   - ./configure strict to remove deprecated things
   - break API whenever they feel like it

  C#:
   - symbols marked as Obsolete, causes a warning at compile time

In general there is also a lack of awareness on the deprecation plans,
and an interrogation on the merit of "just" removing stuff.

ex:
 > Has anyone published a website yet listing all the benefits the GNOME
 > 3.0 platform is going to bring?  The only feature I've heard so far is
 > API breakage.
and:
 > One thing that I _really_ miss is an official wiki page or whatever
 > pronouncing exactly which libraries are deprecated. I have lost track of
 > which modules are to be deprecated. Some libraries seem to be deprecated
 > but then I find out a non-deprecated library depends on it... It's
 > confusing!


        Frederic