Current status of Gtk3

[Rastersoft]

Hi all:

I just wanted to know the current status of Gtk3. I know that it is in “maintenance mode” to allow compatibility with old applications, so bugfixes are being accepted. But my question is if do you accept backwards-compatible changes to the widgets in Gtk3 (as long as the same API is also added to Gtk4, of course).

I ask this because I’m working on adding tiles to Gnome Terminal, and found that it would have the same complex to just create a “generic tiling system” that could be used not only in Gnome Terminal, but in other applications too. But since Gnome Terminal is still a Gtk3 app, and it seems that until Gnome Shell 44-45 won’t be ported into Gtk4, that means that those changes should be added into Gtk3 too.

Although the system would have basically two new widgets, one inheriting from Gtk.Object and the other from Gtk.Bin, there is a change that is needed in Gtk.Paned, to add support for percentage value (this is: to keep the ratio between panes when resized. This is supported in Gtk4, but not in Gtk3).

Is there a possibility to accept them, or it is absolutely forbidden to add these kind of new things?

Thanks.

[ebassi (Emmanuele Bassi)]

@Rastersoft

But my question is if do you accept backwards-compatible changes to the widgets in Gtk3 (as long as the same API is also added to Gtk4, of course).

Not really, no. There must be a very compelling reason to add API, and it mostly does not happen.

@Rastersoft

it would have the same complex to just create a “generic tiling system” that could be used not only in Gnome Terminal

We definitely do not add unproven API because it “could be used”.

We wouldn’t even add that to GTK4.

First: write it for the Terminal. Then figure out how other applications would use it, and port those applications to it. Once you have 2-3 applications using the API, iterate over it for a while, and only then you can propose it for inclusion in GTK.

[Rastersoft]

Fair enough. I’ll do it.

Thanks!