Re: drag-n-drop

[Patrick Ward <phw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>Alan Cox wrote:
>> > and more.
>> > ( maybe a vnc-server for kde will be Kvnc ? )
>> VNC is GPL licensed. The GPL has very specific rules about dependancies
>> on non free libraries, while KDE is a free library Qt is not.
>
>I didn't mean Kvnc will be based on Qt, but Xt.I meant it will be the same
>vnc,  but be able to communicate
>with Kfm ( I hope it doesn't need Qt for this ).
>
>> Once the free Qt clone is done then it will make sense.
>
>Is someone working on it ?
>
>> I've played at porting VNC to a 'real' toolkit not Xlib, and its very clean
>> code with very few X dependancies so you shouldnt have a problem. At some
>> point I'll work out why hextile doesnt work and post something
>>
>> Alan
>
>Regards
>Erez.

Greets, gang!

CDE, HP-VUE, ad-nauseum, all have their own implementation of a
communications mechanism behind DND. None of these are based on
anything "standard". HP-VUE has the most robust mechanism but it's
100% incompatible with anything but HP - not very useful...

DND is 0.05% GUIAPI and 99.95% Comm/IPC API.

The secret to successful DND is the speed and functionality of
the underlying comm API. If I drag my secret file from my secure
server to my private directory on my other secure server, I don't
want every protocol-analyzer-carrying-techno-dweeb that has a hookup
on the backbone reading it! I at least want the *option* of secure,
*authenticated* transfer. It's there on CDE and VUE - it *has* to
be there on KDE as well. The issue is "How".

DCE or Corba - those are the "standards". DCE costs money and the
free one is bug-ridden and ill-supported. The "free" Corba works
fairly well though it's unsupported.

VNC works, but is pretty much KinderCode with regards to feature set.

What happened to the Orb idea? Has anyone volunteered to do the
Corba comm objects yet? I can if not but it'll take forever -- I'm
rather busy...   :/   (Corba/DCE/Motif (and Qt :) programmers have
the shortest life expectancy, ya know...  ;)

All 'big' vendors have committed to providing a Corba implementation
within the next year. Microsloth, included. That's a fairly good
reason to get in the game...

Corba will be (IMO) the most elegant solution. There's a lot to be
said for being bleeding-edge standards-compliant as well - to say
nothing of the virtually unlimited functionality such a DND
implementation would provide.

DCE will work, too.

On the other hand:
  It's elegant, but maybe it's overkill *and* a support nitemare.
  Forget I said anything.  ;)

The *really* important thing is that KDE provide a cute dialog box
with animated files floating gently into eagerly receptive folders!
All other priorities can be rescinded as long as that requirement
is met. Hell, it doesn't even have to *work*! Just ask Bill...

--
PW@HP