From koffice Fri Apr 02 08:56:41 2010 From: Jaroslaw Staniek Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:56:41 +0000 To: koffice Subject: Re: Kexi with QT only Message-Id: X-MARC-Message: https://marc.info/?l=koffice&m=127019865824455 On 2 April 2010 09:57, Giuseppe Torelli wrote: > Kexi is a GREAT software for Linux. An Access alternative was really > missing before Kexi came to existence. However to use Kexi you have to > install a bunch of KDE libraries and those Linux users like who don't > use neither GNOME or KDE to use Kexi have to install a LOT of packages > only to use one software. Hi Giuseppe To be clear: Kexi is KDE application. KDE no longer means K Desktop Environment, but just KDE. Thus Kexi depends on some KDE and KOffice libraries exactly as you noted. These libraries extend (not replace) Qt in many areas. If one would write app like Kexi from scratch using Qt only, most of the libraries it needs would have to be reimplemented or copied. Yet, users would end up with more libraries loaded in their systems, not less. How is that possible? The simple answer is: sharing. KDE applications share common libraries, or graphics, or even message translations, that in turn are loaded only once on your system. And this is also e.g. why KOffice takes a fraction of space that is needed for openoffice.org. Really, only small applications rewrite everything from scratch, and the level of integration is poor, e.g. no mime types are properly handled, settings system is unfamiliar... At operating system level, what you need to run is just X11 with window manager (I am sure you know this very well but I mention that to others). Kexi, like most of KDE apps, does not limit you in regarding your desktop. So desktop (kde workspace) is not a dependency and is not installed. Also, packaging systems install only needed parts, some of them are large (well, not anymore in 2010) - like icons (shared between apps) - but how we're talking about GUI program. Kexi itself is even clearly splitted into packages so users can install only needed components (we openly work with Linux/Windows/etc. distribution makers to handle that well - example document: [0]) I strongly encourage users that do not install KDE/Gnome Desktops to use Kexi, and share the experiences. We can improve integration together - but only if we know the issues or wishes. Maybe something can be improved in packaging at KDE level too. An example of how stripping down of applications is possible, is the Fremantle Office - KOffice compilation for maemo (later: MeeGo) mobile phones [1]. It fits on the phone obviously without Gnom/KDE desktop :) That said, much of the work is also on the distributors side, not the developers. You're welcome to the Kexi mailing list [2]. There's also KOffice mailing list [3]. [0] http://websvn.kde.org/*checkout*/trunk/koffice/README.PACKAGERS [1] http://www.koffice.org/news/office-viewer-for-maemo5-based-on-koffice/ [2] https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kexi [3] https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/koffice -- regards / pozdrawiam, Jaroslaw Staniek http://www.linkedin.com/in/jstaniek Kexi & KOffice (http://www.kexi-project.org, http://www.koffice.org) KDE Software Development Platform on MS Windows (http://windows.kde.org) ____________________________________ koffice mailing list koffice@kde.org To unsubscribe please visit: https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/koffice