Re: GNUstep GUI Backends: DirectFB, Win32, & Cairo

[Chad Hardin]

On Nov 14, 2003, at 10:54 AM, Alex Perez wrote:

> Folks,
>
> I'm just wondering if anyone was working on either of these backends
> currently. I know someone came in here a while back saying that they 
> had a
> commercial need to have the win32 backend working, and I'm hoping that
> that person would de-lurk and just give me (or us, publically) a status
> update if they've successfully done any work, or even just done an
> analysis of what needs to be done.
>
> On the subject of the DirectFB backend, I think Chad Hardin had been
> working on this, and I'm just wondering if there is any foreward 
> movement
> there. Last I remember, Chad had found something out about DirectFB's
> design that he didn't like, and I haven't heard anything more about the
> project since then, so I can only assume that he stopped work at that
> point. Unfortunate, but his choice.
>
> Chad: Are you still working on the DirectFB backend? If not, why not? 
> Do
> you have plans to write a backend for the Linux Framebuffer directly?

No, I stopped the DirectFB backend because I didn't like the 
cooperative resource locking scheme it used for supporting multiple 
applications.  One app can lock everything, if I'm understanding the 
source correctly.

I still like the idea of getting rid of X.  But on the other hand some 
really great things are being worked on for X right now, which makes it 
not so bad anymore.

I would like to still work on alternatives to X but the problem is the 
same as it always is: time.   Right now I'm working full time, my wife 
and I go to school full time, and we got two little tykes (ages 3 & 5) 
running around like crazy!

Anyhow, I've had to shift priorities, and the X replacement is at the 
bottom :-(

Here's what I'm working on:

The SGSTEP Debian repository.
An installer App for SGSTEP
Shoving these two things together into a install disc
&
my newest passion:  simplygnustep.com/net/org and sgstep.com/net/org:

simplygnustep.com will be the regular web site

&

sgstep.com will be something very similar to .Mac!

I already have the domains and the static IPs, I'm jsut waiting on the 
hardware and a lot of tinkering to get it to work.




Back to X.  I think the best route to take may be to keep on using X11. 
 With an alternative project of using DRI for something similar to an 
Apple Quartz extreme windowserver some time in the future.  That's just 
me though, I don't think the gnustep project itself should shift from 
X11.  Resources are already tight as it is without venturing off into 
new projects.

That's serious work though, plus the linux video stuff is going through 
some hefty change/fixes, making it a bit of a moving target.




> I know someone had done some preliminary work on a CairoGraphics 
> backend
> as well. How has this progressed, if at all?

This would be very nice!


> Cheers,
> Alex Perez
>
>
>
>
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