[Kde-games-devel] Quality-check for kdegames module created

[Dmitry Suzdalev]

Hi, Ian!

I'll try to reply, but my English skills are limited in some complex phrases, 
so don't bite me :).
I hope someone will reply to you clearer ;).

On Friday 21 April 2006 09:55, Ian Wadham wrote:
> What on earth is this all about?  I checked the links above
> and am not much enlightened.
This is about improving apps/libs in KDE modules on Earth ;).
kdegames is one of this modules.
This is meant to be KDE-internal quality check, but of course you can follow 
its criterias if you wish.

> Does the script "results.php" 
> do some actual tests of "quality", whatever that may be, or
> is it just a stub which (as a start) labels everything as not
> conforming to the criteria?
It is a stub. It is relying only on developers wishing to control quality of 
their apps in this way.
It works like this: when developer thinks that certain criterion if 
fullfilled, he edits a corresponding xml file by placing a corresponding 
"check" :).

> Of the 14 "quality" criteria, only 3 or 4 mean anything to
> me, and all of them need much more explanation and
> documentation if I am to have any hope of understanding
> and perhaps adhering to them.
Than if you wish, you have to make all of them meaningful to you by asking   
some more experienced KDE-developer about them. I'm a newbie, you know :).
Perhaps someone in this list can enlighten you, or better ask on 
kde-devel at kde.org.
Or maybe even better, check out docs at http://developer.kde.org, I think they 
contain a lot of answers to your questions :).

> I have heard of Qt4 (criterion 1), through Martin and
> Andi's excellent book "Open Source Game Development",
Is it available in html/pdf/etc? Or only printed version?

> but I have no access to it yet.  I do not see any need to
> convert to it, since it has a compatibility mode.  But why
> _do_ Qt and KDE keep changing their class interfaces?
Well, software improves from time to time :).
It gets new features, etc.
You think it's strange? :)

> Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I thought one of the main
> ideas of object oriented programming was to separate the
> interface from the implementation, keeping the interface
> and functionality constant even though the implementation
> might change, thus ensuring backwards compatibility - an
> important "quality criterion" for program libraries.
Backwards compatibility is maintained between minor releases.
Staying backwards compatible means not to introduce revolutionary features.
Major releases are "Major", because they tend to break all the stuff to bring 
a whole lot of new features, quality etc etc.
After that things are settled down until the next major release.

> Then again, if I convert my code to use KIO (criterion 3),
> I will lose portability, another important quality IMHO.
kdelibs are being ported to windows, so that wont be the case anymore :).

> I think my code already uses XMLGUI (criterion 12).
> Is that a "*ui.rc" file?  However I have no idea if I have
> used it "properly" because I have never seen any
> reasonably intelligible documentation on how to use it.
Yes, that's about "*ui.rc" file, but I can't tell you more at the moment. I 
haven't leanrned XMLGUI stuff in detail yet.
But I saw docs&tutorials about it on developer.kde.org. Check it out.
(and as I've heard it might even be removed in future).

> Which brings me to my main point: until the KDE
> environment and library improve their own quality (in
> the form of documentation) and can provide a steadier,
> less changeable environment in which to program, how
> can application writers hope to keep up and how can they
> be expected to conform to new criteria?
>
> I feel as if I am being called upon to spend large amounts
> of my spare time just to keep up with the changes, but for
> no overall improvement in the external functionality of my
> application.  I do not wish to become like Alice and the
> Red Queen, always running hard just to stay in the same
> spot.  Please count me out.
Whew, my English-part of brain is tired, let's hope that some native speaker 
will answer you on this :-D.
Or it will be me after some time passes :).

Hope that at least some of my writings were understandable ;).

> All the best, Ian W.
Good luck!
Dmitry.