Minimal kdelibs on embedded platforms

[Luciano Montanaro]

On giovedì 19 novembre 2009, Parker Coates wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 13:38, Inge Wallin wrote:
> > To create a good kdelibs implementation with lots of flexibility and a
> > span of features/resource needs we need some design. I imagine that at
> > least the following needs to be done:
> >
> >  * Some library reorganization.  I think there are some classes that
> > should move between the libraries to reduce interdependencies.
> >
> >  * An idea of which features are necessary and which are possible to cut
> > away. And then a clean way to build the libraries with all or parts of
> > the removable modules disabled.
> >
> > And maybe more.  If this is going to become a successful venture we need
> > to cooperate and make the embedded kdelibs as important to us as the
> > desktop is.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> 
> Aren't we stuck with what we have until KDE5? That's the point that's
> always raised when discussing a more modular kdelibs. Where and when
> are you proposing this work happen?
> 

Well, a possibility could be to have a build flag, say KDE_EMBEDDED, and 
define an "embedded safe" subset of classes/methods for the embedded packages.

Application maintaners that want to be included in the KDE for embedded 
devices could enable compilation with that macro and prepare alternate paths 
for things that are not supported in the trimmed down base libraries. Although 
not all application would make sense on phone-sized pads, or televisions.

I would prefer to have KDE embedded as a configuration option, rather than a 
forked code base.

And having embedded people around could help KDE on the desktop (or the 
laptop) too:
Memory, and cpu cycles are a scarce resource on embedded platforms, and if we 
get to have good performances there, we'll have stellar performances on the 
desktop.
 
Luciano


-- 
Luciano Montanaro //
                \X/ mikelima at cirulla.net