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List:       koffice
Subject:    Annoumcement - how to do one ? (Krayon)
From:       John Califf <jcaliff () compuzone ! net>
Date:       2000-11-08 14:50:03
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Dear friends and adversaries,

I have another very big update for Krayon (Kimageshop) ready which
should be in current cvs later this week.  The hardest part, to me,
loading and saving images in native .kis format using koffice common
code with streaming and binary image data is now done, as is
exporting to common image formats and importing formats like jpg
and png into Krayon layers.  So, it's definitely over the hump. Also
lots of small bugfixes and more implemention of missing features, though
there is still much to do.  Most especially what's there is now very
solid and difficult to crash, and fast. A determined software abuser can
find ways to crash the app or hang it.  But not easily.

It's now time for an announcement at dot.kde.org to solicit involvement
of others.  Also, to consider using the Krayon mailing list.  How do I
get on that list?  As the current maintainer I need to know.  Krayon
should also have a home page, possibly at kde.org and I'd consider
working more closely with the artists.kde.org people - yet another
mailing list but these may be the best testers of the app.

If someone would volunteer to read and edit the proposed announcement 
before I post it at dot.kde.org to censor out unintentional and innocent
content which may come across as abrasive or undiplomatic, it could
help.  I can send it by private email for censorship - please laugh! 

My thanks especially to the original authors - for providing a very
elegant and adventursome app for the tired old office, which provides a
good platform to work from. It certainly provokes thought and creativity
- the code, that is.  Along with a few oddities like monochrome
brushes...

There is a lot to do.  To whet your appetite:

*tools - just follow the excellent template to add much needed drawing
and selecting tools. Currently Krayon only has 7, and they are
incomplete.

*icons and artwork - of course, every tool needs one and eyecandy
tastefully done is a requirement for such an app

*documentation - nonexistent.  It's a fun app to document, come on.  Had
you rather document a mail server or database engine?  

*image processing - for any heavyweights out there with detailed
knowledge of image processing and low-level bit manipulation.  We need
to keep this app fast and powerful.  It already is, but can easily
degenerate into sloth without tweaks from the bitmasters.

*plugins - the infrastructure is already in place.  Have at it.

*embedding - child documents and testing of embedding krayon in other
koffice apps.  The infrastructure is in place, mostly. 

*scripting - later.  What about Python? It seems to be the kde scripting
language of choice.  

*any C++ coder(s) to help with the gui work and back end.  How many
people work on Gimp?  I can't do it alone.

Much can be gleaned from other kde apps like killustrator, kpaint,
kiconedit, and pixie.  Rather than reinventing the wheel.... Some of it
can be used from common libraries and some can't, and has to be copied
and modified slightly for the Krayon app specifically.  What makes
Krayon special is the use of layers and channels, as well as integration
with KOffice.  Krayon need not supplant these other Kde image and
drawing apps, but it should have the main focus, because of its
potential to be a focus for artistic and image based design
to create art as well as to show it, along with Killustrator for vector
graphics.  These should be king and queen.  A 3-d comopnent for KOffice
could be the ace, and that will come some day.

My approach is not to rush things but to keep the original spirit of the
endeavour - stressing speed and elegance over a lot of "features",
plugins that become mandatory, and reliance on scripting (which should
be an extra). NOT like another well known image processing app we know
and hate to use. Also no messy nested menus, dialogs, and multiple SDI
windows to do the simplest thing with Krayon - it's compact. MDI and
tabs have their uses.

Working steadily in this fashion, I feel that Krayon may be ready for
inclusion in the next intermediate release in late december and
CERTAINLY for 2.1 next spring.  I will need the help and cooperation of
those who run cvs and make overall decisions about KOffice to do that,
though.

Well, I still don't know who our next president will be after staying up
all night (working on Krayon to relieve the drama) but it is more fun to
argue about politics than flaming the kde lists.

John

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