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List:       kde-games-devel
Subject:    Re: [Kde-games-devel] Using GHNS (Get Hot New Stuff)
From:       Josef Spillner <spillner () kde ! org>
Date:       2012-03-13 12:18:30
Message-ID: 201203130918.31130.spillner () kde ! org
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Hello Ian,

:: Ian Wadham Dienstag 13 M=E4rz 2012
> There is a feature of KDE called "Get Hot New Stuff" (GHNS) and I have
> sometimes thought about using it in KGoldrunner for such goodies as:
> =

>    - Solutions to levels
>    - High-score records
>    - Releasing new levels in between releases of KDE (but untranslated)
>    - Posting levels to be contributed
>    - Graphics themes
>    - Sound themes
> =

> Unfortunately, every time I look at it (over several years) I seem to find
> that it has recently been re-written and the documentation is incomplete.

Let me give a quick summary. Resulting from the original GHNS static downlo=
ad =

feature in KDE about ten years ago, ghns.freedesktop.org was created to ext=
end =

this work beyond KDE, which never really worked well. Later, dynamic protoc=
ol =

extensions (e.g. for search) emerged - first with DXS (Desktop eXchange =

Service, a SOAP protocol), later with Frank's OCS (Open Collaboration =

Services, an XML/JSON REST protocol), and apparently now with Aaron's PASS =

(Plasma Active Store Services, a JSON REST protocol about which not much is =

known).

There have been 3 client libraries for KDE thus far (and a few more for oth=
er =

toolkits such as SDL and GNOME):
- KNewStuff, the original one from KDE2 times for rather dumb downloads
- KNewStuff2, a rewrite for KDE4 with MVC separation, caching, upload etc. =

which supports GHNS and DXS providers alike.
- KNewStuff3, a rewrite which uses the Attica library so that it can access =

GHNS providers and OCS providers alike.

On the server side, there has been Hotstuff for hosting GHNS/DXS repositori=
es =

(which may have SVN/git repositories beneath them), Frank's sites (kde-*.or=
g) =

for hosting GHNS/OCS repositories, and Aaron's Synchrotron for providing GH=
NS =

feeds from git repositories.

Given that all of this development happens scattered throughout the project =

without any coordination, with several NIH syndromes striking here and ther=
e, =

expect more complete rewrites and incomplete documentation for the next yea=
rs, =

too :(

> I just don't understand it enough and AFAIK other KDE Games people
> have only used it for graphics and wallpapers.

GHNS was used extensively for game items such as levels and themes before, =

e.g. in the ggz-kde-games package, with KNewStuff2. Probably not in many ot=
her =

KDE games (including those in the kdegames package), though.

> In particular, I do not see any advice about where to store the "stuff" a=
nd
> how secure, backed up and *constant* that place might be (web sites
> appear, disappear or change URLs all the time).

If you want to store the "stuff", I would recommend to store your "stuff" i=
n a =

repository and use newstuff.kde.org (which runs the Hotstuff services) to =

produce appropriate feeds for the games. If you want to let your gamers cre=
ate =

"stuff" through editors etc., it'll be a bit more complicated (see below).

> I think the GHNS URLs of an app have to be hard-coded somehow, so
> what if they change between releases of KDE?

They're specified in *.knsrc files (INI files) which can be updated with po=
int =

releases. In the past, there was hardly a need to do so.

> Also how would one segregate stuff uploaded by third parties, e.g. claimed
> high scores versus validated high scores, newly submitted levels versus
> tested levels or levels intended for release in KDE (and translation into
> KDE supported languages)?

Hotstuff has the concept of moderated queues, but the web interface to let =

e.g. a game developer perform the moderation has always been sort of =

rudimentary. I've hesitated to continue its development some years ago due =
to =

the scattering mentioned above. It could be resumed if other options fail.

Josef
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