KDE image viewers

[James Richard Tyrer]

Renato Machado de Sousa wrote:
> Given the latest features of kuickshow and kview, they are beginning to
> overlap (if I want to view a series of pictures (comic books, not pr0n!),
> do I use kuickshow or kview + browse plugin?)
> 
> Not only that, but (IMHO) they still lag behind PixiePlus (which was the
> imageviewer in 2.2). Of course, pixie has been greatly deKDEized (NO
> config screen, vaaaarious assumptions instead of options, look n' feel
> incoherent with the desktop (doubleclicks!!!)).
> 
> IMHO, if there were to be 2 viewers at all in the project, they should be:
> 
> 1) Pixie Plus or feature equivalent: Viewer, Bulk transformer, generator
> of web gallery, Variable size thumbs, option to NOT generate thumbs
> automatically, etc.
> 
> 2) QUICK light viewer with very low startup time. Think Kaboodle. Kview
> fits well in this category (but of course something for this use needs no
> plugins)
> 
> But still, I'd prefer if it were only one viewer, with toggle
> quickview/browse (ACDSee, gtksee) functionality.
> 
> Also, I'd like to ask how the packages to be included in the KDE main
> distribution are selected. Is there some kind of election, or do the
> managers just pick up the best in its job and KDEize it (as is happening
> with Kopete right now)?

I'm not exactly sure why Kuickshow exists except that it is a quick and 
light weight viewer.  But, it is IIUC, a one-trick-pony since it is 
basically a front end for GNOME Imlib.  This would give the advantage to 
KView if it needs to be expanded and there is a debate at GNOME about 
replacing Imlib.  Unless Imlib is expanded, expansions to include new 
formats like JPEG2000 would be only in KView.

It appears to me that it would be better if there was also a Kuickshow 
KPART to use if you only wanted to view the image.  Note the differences 
between opening an image in Kuickshow vs. KView -- Kuickshow shows the 
image while KView has control of size and orientation and other stuff in a 
widget (which doesn't 'shrink wrap') and Kuickshow uses a right click menu 
and is always 'shrink wrapped').  the question of which is better is going 
to be a 'religious' argument unless there is a significant difference in 
speed.  I would prefer Kuickshow as the plugin, but it isn't available as a 
KPART yet.

Neither one of these is an image management system -- which KDE needs.  We 
either need to get Pixie2 back or KView will need to be expanded to have 
these features to compete with LongHorn.

--
JRT

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