Re: gEDA-user: PCB suggestion

[Dave McGuire <mcguire@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jan 8, 2005, at 12:18 PM, Stuart Brorson wrote:
> 2.  The biggest reason to not use XML is that we already have a
> working file format with associated file reading and writing code.
> Transitioning to XML is a major, architectural change to PCB.
> Everybody talks about changing the program; almost nobody actually
> implements the changes.  If I had my druthers for PCB, I'd rather see
> developer effort used to upgrade the UI to GTK, rather than wasted on
> migrating to an XML file format -- a change which would be invisible
> to ordinary users.

  While I'd certainly like to see some look & feel improvements in the 
basic UI elements, I think GTK would be a mistake.  Contrary to popular 
belief, all the world is *not* a PC running Linux, and GTK can be a 
cast-iron pain in the ass on anything but.

  Of course, that's probably more the fault of app developers than GTK 
itself...many GTK-ish things seem to require one particular release of 
GTK, which of course isn't the one you have installed, and building 
that requires one particular release of a half dozen other packages, 
and of course one of them will refuse to build correctly, and before 
you know it, you've blown an ENTIRE DAY dicking with it because the 
Linux community seems to be infected with "I must always use every 
library I can find because it makes me look cool" disease.

  *grumble*

  I think I need a vacation.

           -Dave

--
Dave McGuire              "I've watched Harley people throw up
Cape Coral, FL                      on the ceiling."    -Krissi