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List:       mozilla-general
Subject:    Re: To give you an idea of QtScape code...
From:       "Gregory R. Block" <gblock () netscape ! com>
Date:       1998-04-12 14:58:35
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Martin Konold wrote:

> IMHO the clean C++ qtscape code will lead to a rapid developing Mozilla
> which can be more stable, faster and featureful than any competitor.

I certainly hope so.  On the other hand, a diversification of frontends is a
sure-fire way to get experimentation in what a good UI is and does, and what
kind of future paths for design can be explored.  Unification isn't the answer,
here, diversification is.

> The port beeing done by those 7 programmers in only 5 days should be an
> indication about the prosperful future of Mozilla.

Many of the toolkits will bring with them powerful features and great
strengths.  I, for one, warmly await the NeXTStep/OpenStep - Rhapsodilla (Or
whatever moniker is attached) because integration with the OpenStep services
platform will bring out a lot of new ideas for what can be done with the
platform in the future.

I look forward to seeing Qtzilla break some new ground and develop a Qt-native
interface that looks and behaves like a regular Qt application.  If there is
behavior within that variety that is unique and wanted by many, then the core
platform should be extended to support that kind of feature set.

Only through diversity can we explore the wild set of possibilities available to
us.

> A cleanup of the code according to sane C++ conventions will make future
> improvements even faster and more reliable.

Define "sane", "C++", "conventions", and their usage within the same sentence.
:)

> In order to succeed Mozilla has to be based on well thought design
> criteria instead of fixing the symtoms. One of the major benefits of
> opening the source of Mozilla is that the free software community does
> have the capabilities to rethink the basic structure and design and to
> improve the quality of the software.

Absolutely.  However, in that same light, in order to succeed, Mozilla has to be
able to support the APIs, functionality, and desktops that the users in the real
world actually use.  In some cases, that is KDE/Qt - I have many friends who
adore it.  In many cases, however, it's Motif/Lesstif.  They, too, deserve a
well-supported browser.

> "I think it is not critical that the coordinator be able to originate
> designs of exceptional brilliance, but it is absolutely critical that
> he/she be able to recognize good design ideas from others."

Absolutely.  And that remains true to this very day and likely well beyond.  But
at the same time, that person will have to balance diversity against simplicity
of code support - and I do not feel that the widget wars will bring us any
closer to an answer.

Vote diversification.  Build it, and they will come.  Less talk, more code.
Power to the peephole optimizers.

And stuff.  :)

:plur,
Greg

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