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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: What to do after 2.2?
From:       Navindra Umanee <navindra () cs ! mcgill ! ca>
Date:       2001-07-13 14:47:49
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Rob Kaper <cap@capsi.com> wrote:
> The benefits would be:
> 
> - more and more applications are using backported Qt3 stuff already, this
>   would no longer be necessary
> - seperating the port from feature additions creates a cleaner development
>   path, trying to do both simultaneously could make it very confusing _why_
>   things go wrong if they do and would create a period of time where neither
>   the port nor the features are stable
> - projects such as the KDE database app have been halted awaiting the Qt3
>   database stuff to avoid duplication of efforts

Your benefits aren't really convincing for such a big decision.  (1)
hasn't shown itself to be a significant problem.  (2) says nothing
about having to port KDE2 to Qt3 *now*.  As for (3), I don't know why
the project halted, evidently there is no immediate interest for it...

> The disadvantages would be:
> 
> - no more 2.x releases, breaking binary compatibility quite soon after 2.0
> - Qt3 is not released yet (on the other hand, the API is stable (even
>   frozen?), it's not the same as the nightmare experienced with KDE 2.0
>   which was developed against an unstable API)

Huge disadvantages, a few points added to which: 

- the one that Torsten mentioned about KDE applications.  Maybe
  Andreas can give us some stats on KDE 1.x apps vs KDE 2.x apps.

- KDE 2.x is an excellent platform, prospering very well already and
  with much more potential.

- Consider the timelines and marketing issues.  When is Qt 3.0 being
  released in stable form?  Considering that, how would switching to
  Qt3 affect the KDE release timeline? [And, yes, as PR guy, when is
  GNOME 2.0 being released, and market wise, how does that affect us?]

- It might be worthwhile consulting commercial companies who have
  products based on KDE 2.x, just to get their input and perspective.

Just trying to focus on the issues...

-N.

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