[Geany-Devel] On Deprecation of Platforms

[Colomban Wendling]

Le 03/10/2013 02:19, Lex Trotman a écrit :
> All Developers,
> 
> Its time we deprecated windows support!!

Although I don't use Windows, I don't really see why.

> 
> The windows code in Geany is:
> 
> - unmaintained and bit-rotting

Nick uses it AFAIK, and he had done things on it, so it's not that true.

> - buggy

Well, I can't say there isn't a problem with the spawning code here --
but that's the "only" thing I know that is truly problematic.

> - holding us at an unreasonably old GTK version

Sorry?  I don't think Windows support has anything to do with the GTK
version we support.  If anything, it's rather the contrary, providing a
newer version for Windows installers is far easier than forcing users of
old GNU/Linux distros to build a new version.

> - hard to maintain due to being hacks on top of hacks

Again, spawning code (only?)

> - few of the developers have access to a representative development
> setup (no WinXP on a VM is hardly representative)

I indeed don't, but AFAIK Nick and Matthew does

> [...]
> 
> If this does not result in contributors who support the windows version
> coming forward and actually making a difference in the code and the user
> support then Windows should be dropped in a couple of versions.

It would indeed be nice to have more developers that really user the
Windows version and have time and will to improve and fix it.

> I don't have any windows systems, don't use it and can't develop for it,
> but I have always noted when I was aware that some issue would impact
> the windows version, and have tried to help people who have had
> difficulties with Geany on windows where I could.

That was nice, thanks :)


Anyway, although I agree the Windows version isn't as good as it should
right now, I don't really see the problem it causes to the rest of
Geany.  And if we indeed clean some things up a little like Matthew
suggests, it could even be just fine (Windows dialogs, come on).

Cheers,
Colomban