[PyKDE] Why are the python bindings delivered with KDE so old?

Serge Weinstock sweinst at ukonline.co.uk
Tue Jan 23 23:12:21 GMT 2007


Simon Edwards wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I maintain the copy of the bindings in KDE's SVN repository.
>
> On Sunday 21 January 2007 17:51, Serge Weinstock wrote:
>   
>> Does someone know why the python bindings delivered  with  KDE are so old?
>>     
>
> It is a bit of a long story to explain, but what it comes down to is that a 
> year or two ago SIP/PyQt had to break binary compatibility. Binary 
> compatibility is important to KDE so I decided to stay and keep the older 
> version. In retrospect, following SIP/PyQt development would have been the 
> better option to take...
>
>   
>> This is a major issue for me and I think for all developers who want to
>> develop python applications for KDE as these bindings are the one
>> distributed for a lot of major Linux distribution (Suse, Mandriva, ...).
>>     
>
> Lobby your distro and/or produce packages for it. That is the best solution 
> for now.
>
>   
>> Furthermore, this situation prevents also the  spread  of PyQt4 as the 
>> version  of sip  is too old and many  users  are afraid to have to
>> replace full parts of their KDE distribution.
>>     
>
> PyQt4 is not affected in anyway.
>
>   
>> Is it possible to help solving this problem and try to have up to date
>> bindings in the KDE source tree? I'm willing to help...
>>     
>
> No, not via KDE's copy in any case. The 3.x series of KDE is in maintenance 
> mode and no big changes, only bug fixes, will be released for 3.5.
>
> The plans for PyKDE in KDE 4 are described here BTW:
>
> http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-bindings&m=116362138117872&w=2
>
> Any developer starting a Qt/KDE project in Python should be using Qt 4 now, 
> and not Qt 3. PyQt4 has been out and stable for quite some time now.
>
> cheers,
>
>   
Thanks you for your explanations, I didn't know that the KDE 3.x series
was now in maintenance.

I must confess that I'm surprised by the recommendation of using PyQt4
for new KDE applications as to my knowledge neither the KDE4 API has
been stabilized, nor a public release of the Python bindings for KDE4
has been released.

Personally, I can't use only PyQt for my current project as I don't want
to rewrite the huge amount of useful code found in the KDE libraries.

This is very good news to know that pyKDE4 will be developed directly
inside the KDE project.  

Thanks for your very good and really useful work.

Serge




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