Re: GtkAda for GTk4?

[Andreas Almroth <andreas@almroth.com>]

On Sunday, 13 February 2022 at 17:46:09 UTC+1, Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:
> On 2022-02-13 16:32, Andreas Almroth wrote: 
> 
> > Looking at the excellent support for GTK in GtkAda over the past many years, which I have enjoyed using, I was looking for (aka googling) references to any initial thoughts/work on having GtkAda to also support GTK4.
> Well, knowing GTK's disastrous history it cannot be "also", it must be 
> either 3 or 4. GTK 4 breaks basically everything one could ever think of. 
> 

True, their rationale is it makes it better :-)

> To me new features in GTK 4 do not look worth changing the API again, 
> not even useful, just fancy stuff. It seems that GTK team keep on 
> breaking the API rather out of fun than necessity. Instead of hardening 
> the code. GTK 3 is still buggy as hell. 
> 

Yes, when logging, one tend to get endless log entries on things that should not happen, but the application tends to functions, and one has learnt to work arounds the usual issues.

> Of course, at some point one will have to migrate, but how about sitting 
> GTK 4 over and going straight to GTK 5? Unless they lose remaining users...

Well, they might, but it is still based on C, which is easier to interface to from Ada, than say C++ (which I have found cumbersome). Most other GUI frameworks are based on C++, for instance QT. QTAda is as far as I know not maintained (I haven't seen much in a very long time).


> > I know, GTK4 has only been "out" for little over a year, but it would be interesting to know if anyone considering doing this. I would be glad to participate, although with limited know-how of the inner workings of GtkAda, but at least testing perhaps.
> GtkAda is maintained by AdaCore, so it is them to ask. 
> 

I could try my luck with them :-)

Thanks
/A

> -- 
> Regards, 
> Dmitry A. Kazakov 
> http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de