On 10/13/06, Segedunum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I mean, even if Adobe do create a > Linux desktop port, how does Adobe package it up and how on Earth is anyone > going to install it? Anybody think of things like that?
Why can some companies do this and Adobe not? What do they need? An "installer api" that is used by each and every linux/unix distro? Why do people consider Windows the same as the whole of all linux/unix distro's? One version of one distro is equivalent with one version of Windows. What I mean is, each distribution is a completely different operating system but built with common parts like the linux kernel. Yet, conveniently, some think that everything that uses the linux kernel is by definition the same operating system. That does not mean that it's not necessary to work together of course and make it more easy for software developers to deploy their products. > > Where are the development tools? > The question is: What do they need? It looks to me that there needs to be more communication. > What licenses do I have to buy for development tools? Yes - ISVs *will* ask > that question. > Depends on which tools they want to use which in turn is not an operating system problem as far as I can see. > Where are the stable libraries I use on the platform, akin to the Win32 API > on > Windows, or are there separate libraries that all have completely different > looking interfaces? By that I don't just mean having libraries at a desktop > level, but libraries with the same kind and style of APIs for doing all > manner of things throughout the OS. And by 'APIs', no I don't mean just > throwing out a CLI command and 'parsing' the 'stuff' that comes back. Many > programmers in organisations with lots of servers and desktops to deploy on > will ask if you can do things remotely as well. > I think that's a good point. Although some software (and their development files, like include files) are available on most if not all linux platforms. > How does someone install, and configure, a piece of software graphically? > This > is a desktop, right? > Of course. One needs to write an install program, it's as simple as that. GTK? Well, most distro's include GTK Qt? Most do include it as well. Other toolkits? The same. Or, you can link it in such a way that all the code needed is included and you do not depend on the system anymore. Disadvantage is size of course. > Will all those interfaces stay sane and compatible for any period of time? > I think for KDE (and Qt) the interfaces stay sane and compatible. I don't know the policies for other libraries. But there's always a choice I think. > What can I at least guarantee to my customers that it will work on? How can > I > support it if the interfaces are there but the implementations are all > different? The last point is relevant to something like the LSB. People want > a set of known and set binaries they can build against and use. Heck, even > doing that can be difficult enough. Anything else is useless, no matter how > many test suites it's been through. > > Where's the online documentation for doing all of this? > A lot of libraries are fairly well documented. Usually searching for the library via google gives enough information. But not always. > Tick the boxes on most of this and you also start attracting people who > write > 'free' and open source software on Windows as well. By doing this you also > start to attract a wider userbase. > > Criticise Microsoft all you like, and I personally think Adobe are slitting > their own throats in the long run, but Microsoft provide all that - for all > the ways in which they inexplicably screw many things up that should be > good. > Microsoft does not provide everything though. On the other hand, it looks like some people become lazy and expect everything to be served on a dinnerplate. I want to write Photoshop: I need: - Graphics lib - Color management - UI - ... And I just link one to another. That's not programming (at least for me). Sometimes one needs to do some dirty work and create something yourself. But it's of course a bonus for Windows if they do serve all this. On the other hand, most of these libraries have equivalents on Linux. My opinion of course, don't take it too seriously. -- BT Tools http://bttools.blogspot.com/ _______________________________________________ Desktop_architects mailing list [email protected] https://lists.osdl.org/mailman/listinfo/desktop_architects
