How to get into xfce/gtk development?

[Jérôme Guelfucci]

On 04/01/13 00:22, Roland Pinto wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I just started learning C on my own (using a book called C
> programming: A modern approach)and will be learning it at university
> this semester. I want to get into gtk development. More specifically
> help out with Xfce. I have to say it feels a little overwhelming to
> get into all of that C code with all the glib,gobject,dbus,gtk stuff.
> So, I would like  to know what would be best way learn all of this?
> How did you guys pick this up? Any tips and things I should know
> about?
>
> Thanks for your all hard work guys. I really love the latest releases.
>
> Roland.

Hello,

Just to add a few points to hat has already been said:

- To learn GTK+, I find this tutorial useful: 
http://zetcode.com/tutorials/gtktutorial/. It may not be 100% up-to-date 
but is really clearly and should get you started quickly.
- If you want to go for something more advanced, a Cairo tutorial can be 
good too. This one is good: http://zetcode.com/gfx/cairo/ but you can 
find more on the cairographics.org Web site. Cairo is the graphics 
library used by GTK+ and allows you to do fancy drawing.
- As others said, it's easier to start with bug fixing or giving love to 
unmaintained Xfce plugins. Just pick something you really need / use or 
think it would be fun to hack on, this will make everything easier.

Also, remember that there are not a lot of Xfce hackers, patch review 
can take some time! Don't hesitate to call for review here or on 
#xfce-dev IRC channel.

If you plan to hack on a "big" feature it is always advised to discuss 
it here or on a bug report first so that you don't lose time 
implementing things in a way which could be improved beforehand.

Welcome and don't hesitate if you have more questions!

Jérôme