[dot] Python Enters KDE with Guidance

[Dot Stories]

URL: http://dot.kde.org/1176941846/

From: Jonathan Riddell <>
Dept: configuration-tools
Date: Wednesday 18/Apr/2007, @17:17

Python Enters KDE with Guidance
===============================

   The first non-C++ application in KDE's SVN has been moved from the
playground module to Extragear [http://extragear.kde.org/].  Guidance
[http://www.simonzone.com/software/guidance/] is a number of system
configuration modules and a laptop power manager.  The recent 0.8
release added a kcontrol module for setting up Wine and improvements to
the power manager.  One of the aims of KDE 4 is to increase the use of
KDE bindings, such as Ruby's Korundum
[http://rubyforge.org/projects/korundum/] and PyKDE
[http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/pykde/index.php], which will make
coding KDE easier for those who do not want to worry about pointers and
compilers.

     Guidance was originally developed for Mandrake Linux and is now
used by default in Kubuntu.  It is hoped that moving it to KDE Extragear
will encourage testing and development on other distributions.  Guidance
requires PyKDE Extensions
[http://www.simonzone.com/software/pykdeextensions/] as well as the
PyKDE bindings themselves.

     Speaking at FOSDEM 2005
[http://kde.me.uk/index.php?page=fosdem-2005-kdepython-talk] about the
reasons to use Python over C++ Guidance author Simon Edwards said
"Productivity goes up twice compared to C++... It looks similar to any
C++ KDE program but without the C++ overhead. The C++ API is
transparently translated, so it's easy for seasoned C++ KDE developers
to use Python for the job."  Simon will be talking about Python in KDE
[http://akademy2007.kde.org/conference/talks/49.php] during the Bindings
stream at Akademy.

     More information on language bindings to KDE is available on the
Techbase bindings page [http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Languages]. 
If you are starting a KDE application, think about which language is
best for you.