Re: Consider GtkCore as UI

[Albert Palacios]

Hi,

With the GitHub code, where the GSTheme.m file is 8 years old, I can't see how 
to create a theme to my liking. Now I see that there have been modifications 
three months ago to some files, I will have to look at the differences to see 
in detail what it is about. 

The 'Argentum' theme from the 'AgoraDesktop' repository on Github seems like an 
empty skeleton, but you have already said that the previous images were made 
with a vector editing program, and not real functioning code. Nevertheless, I 
have not been able to get this project to work, because although there is an 
installer, there is no explanation anywhere on how to start the desktop and my 
knowledge of FreeBSD is NIL. 

Also, in the documentation, I can't see anywhere how to properly make a custom 
vector theme from scratch, and I haven't found any example either. I really 
mean it when I say that if I achieve my goal of making a GNUStep program that 
doesn't make my eyes bleed, I will make more modern documentation for my 
students. But right now, I can't use your library in the classroom because they 
will think I am crazy. I know the 90s were phenomenal, but my students were 
born after 2000, I can't introduce Objective C in the classroom with an 
aesthetic that is prehistoric to them.

Thank you very much for your patience, but when you say that it is very easy to 
criticize and more difficult to contribute, take note yourselves too. Because 
it's very easy to say that the approach of overriding the code is completely 
wrong, and not to provide any clear and real example of a vector theme that can 
be used as a base, and where it is clearly seen how to modify the menus or 
complex components. 

I have been following this list for a long time, and what is evident is that 
there would be more interest in GNUStep if, let's see how I put it, ..., it was 
more clearly explained how to customize it to everyone's taste. Including those 
of us who have appreciated the updates to macOS since Cheetah, and have never 
owned a NeXTcube.

Albert




> On 19 Dec 2023, at 22:26, Kyle Cardoza <kyle.cardoza@icloud.com> wrote:
> 
> “Mr. Cardoza” makes me look for the warrant in your hand, but yes, I have 
> been working on refactoring default drawing behaviour into the base GSTheme 
> class, to enable better control over theme elements in subclasses. There’s 
> definitely improvements to be made in the theme that would be presented to 
> new users in a hypothetical reference distro (which is not necessarily the 
> same as the base GSTheme class!), but I can’t say I think the base theme is 
> ugly. Just old fashioned. That isn’t inherently a bad thing, but I see how 
> some might get the wrong impression about what GNUstep is and can do based on 
> the NeXTSTEP look and feel. 
> 
> The theme I am designing is based entirely on vector drawing, to take full 
> advantage of modern high dpi displays, and show off what a fully native 
> GNUstep environment is actually capable of being. That’s a lot of work, but 
> it’s work that is being done. 
> 
>> Additionally, Mr. Cardoza, who wrote earlier in this list.  Thought as you 
>> do about the theming stuff and I helped him with understanding what could be 
>> done by pointing him to the code.  He contributed code to handle the menu 
>> padding (PRECISELY THE ISSUE YOU POINTED OUT) to GSTheme about two months 
>> ago.