[digiKam-users] Printing - I need help!

[Gilles Caulier]

2018-08-15 12:20 GMT+02:00 Chris Green <cl at isbd.net>:

> Gilles Caulier <caulier.gilles at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > The issue is more subtle than that.  :-)
> > >
> > > I agree wholly with your sentiments above and there are places where I
> > > do contribute, however Digikam is a bit out of my 'spectrum' being KDE
> > > based (among other things).
> > >
> >
> > Do you mean 'out of your spectrum' because digiKam is based on KDE ?
> >
> Yes, sort of, it's also not the sort of software I'm particularly
> familiar with (I'm more into low level 'interact with the hardware'
> stuff).
>

You must know that since 5.0.0, and now the future 6.0.0, the KDE
dependencies are reduced to the minimum to increase the portability and
simplify the maintenance in time.

It's simple : historically we use a lots of functions, classes, frameworks
from KDE to develop quickly the application.

The side effects are to be too much dependend of a lots of code more and
less maintained and not very well working outside Linux. Remember that
digiKam must work under MacOS and Windows. This is a challenge with more
than 1.4 M of line of C++ codes.

Qt5 support all these platforms, not KF5 (the KDE frameworks).

As more and more code can remplace KF5 in Qt5, step by step we remove KF5
dependencies when it's possible.

Another point is the port to new main frameworks version. The stage to
create DK 5 from DK 4 with the switch from Qt4/KDE4 to Qt5/KF5 have take
more than 2 years. It's not really acceptable and make developer completely
crazy.

This is the reality, even if KDE developer don't care or don't want to know
my words : Depending of KF5 indeed is not acceptable for a multiple desktop
application with a lots of code. Can you imageine the quatity of code from
KF5 more and less maintened and where each summer we let's students to add
more features without regression tests in client applications. Because it's
the reallity and this cannot work.

This is the big problem of KDE project and more and less in Open Source
world. In the real life (in computer office where large code is developed -
as in mine), we cannot work like this.

In fact, it miss QA in open source. This is complex to use, time consuming,
and need human ressource, but it's necessary at least a little bit.

Another personal viewpoint : KDE project try to do more and more different
stuff, as phone support for ex, that client application projects don't care
in fact.

What's we need :

- all main platforms support (as Qt5)
- A wiki support to write documentations and translations on-line (this
always require to pass through a complex workflow with developer account,
git support, etc...)
- A financial mechanism to support main application developers. Open Source
is not valid model in time. People come and left faster and don't get any
interest to support a project (as me for ex) on the long term.

Gilles Caulier
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