Custom widgets for lxde applications

[Axel FILMORE]

On 24/08/2012 21:27, Stephen Smally wrote:
> Il 24/08/2012 21:05, Julien Lavergne ha scritto:
>> Le 08/24/2012 07:37 PM, Stephen Smally a écrit :
>>>
>>> So my question (and proposal) is: Is a standard lxde widgets library a
>>> good thing?
>>> I personally don't like when a gtk app require another library for
>>> widgets (such as libxfce4ui), because it looks to me like an added
>>> weight. However, i started appreciating this with the granite library
>>> (used for elementary os widgets), and i started thinking about a lxde
>>> library seriously (i called it liblxui, but i don't like the name a
>>> lot).
>>> In my plan, the library should be:
>>> * Written with Vala (simple development + C and vala api) and Gtk3
>>> * Themed within Box (or whatever) via css, using another Gtk theme the
>>> widgets won't look strange.
>>> * Lightweight, of course, just few widgets (about 5 or 6), no Services
>>> or patches as in granite
>> IMO, one of the main advantage of LXDE is that it's gtk + glib only,
>> using stock features of those libraries. Starting by introducing a
>> strong dependency on a specific library, and it will end like Xfce or
>> Gnome, an integrated desktop, with a lot of common and specific
>> components. So, what's the point to create yet another integrated
>> desktop ? LXDE will loose one of it main advantages.

+1

> Yep, this is the main cons.
> Actually, XFCE apps are bound not only by libxfceui, but also because
> they store information with xfconf, rather than use gsettings or
> individual config files.

That's why I don't use XFCE if you want my 2 cents. :)
That's unfortunate that they don't use gsettings, using XFCE or XFCE
programs means having two configuration databases. That sucks. :)


> Also liblxui wouldn't probably be used by every lxde app, some of them
> don't need particular widgets (lxpanel for instance). Instead of have
> same widgets reincluded in each app, we have a set of common widgets.
> Let me clarify it with an "equation":
> full project (core + widgets) <=> core project + widgets (liblxui)
> 
> If a user want to build its own desktop environment, *he will obviously
> encounter apps which follow different guidelines and are designed
> differently, so the point of liblxui is to have a consistent experience
> across lxde.

I've built my own Desktop, I started to use a library but in the end, I
had to do so much changes in it that I had to fork it, otherwise that
would be totally impossible.

It's great to have a library but you need to learn it's particular
functions and if you need a different way than the one that is
implemented, it's dead.

The granite library is very interesting though. :-P

Anyway, you can try to create a library, you'll see if you have
interesting Widgets in it, or not.

:)

-- 
Axel FILMORE
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