What are the objectives for Xfce 4.4?

[Brian J. Tarricone]

Benedikt Meurer wrote:

> Brian J. Tarricone wrote:
>
>> Well, sorta.  I think we should have a really stripped-down file view 
>> widget with file-management capabilities in libxfcegui4 (or if it 
>> ends up being to large, perhaps its own library).  Xfdesktop can 
>> optionally create an instance of this widget (by dlopen()ing it if 
>> its in its own library) for the desktop, and a separate file manager 
>> binary could do something similar, and implement a configuration 
>> interface and a host of other nifty things.  But this file manager 
>> need not be in the core.
>>
>> I'm really *really* against folding desktop management duties into 
>> the file manager a la nautilus.  It just doesn't make sense, IMHO, 
>> and makes it difficult for users to a) use Xfce's file manager with a 
>> different DE, or b) use Xfce with a different file manager.  I'm 
>> actually surprised that was suggested, as it seems like quite the 
>> opposite of modularity.
>
> I really *klemmer* this idea. I don't see why a file manager shouldn't 
> be desktop-independent, or why it should reduce Xfce's modularity,

Huh?  You're advocating making the filemanager integrated with the 
desktop (or the desktop integrated with the file manager, take your 
pick), which makes the file manager less desktop-independent.  If we go 
with your plan, this means that, if you want to run Xfce with rox's file 
manager, or nautilus, you either have to run rox's pinboard/nautilus' 
desktop manager, or run without a desktop.  If you'd rather use 
something like Jens' filer, which doesn't manage the desktop, you have 
to run what is essentially two file managers just to get a desktop.  
Conversely, if someone wants to use Xfce's file manager with another DE, 
there's the problem of having to do something braindead like 
--no-desktop with nautilus.

Taking two things that are separate (and not really all that related, 
IMO), and making them into one integrated piece sounds like the 
definition of "reducing modularity" to me.

> but I see that such a `file view widget library' will surely become a 
> maintaince problem.

I'm curious to know why.  It's only a maintenance problem if you 
maintain it poorly, or design the interface in a half-assed manner.  
Again, it's all about modularity: why reinvent file management 
capabilities all over the place when you can keep the basic 
functionality in one place?

    -b