Re: [Inkscape-user] Mission
Yes, everything is solvable by some future version of Javascript.
However Javascript is a relative disaster full of inconsistencies. Still not bad for a
language that was invented in 1992 in 10 days. It's great for tinkering on webpages,
but there's no large scale formal software built with it. (For a variety of reasons)
Ever hear of VSCode?
Gravit Designer?
Postman?
I could literally list apps for days here. VSCode has to be THE most successful large
scale IDE to date. Notice the growth rate...the number of plugins ported, etc. RedHat is
porting a lot of it's Java capabilities over fast. You find capabilities for just
about any programming platform in VSCode now.
Also, I said async hell, not callback hell.
Either way these are very simple to deal with. Just write an Observable facade over the
interface / API that it is you want to use. Find me one package that's tricky for you
to use and I will help you fix it so that it is standardized for all developers. I have
already done this WRT exception handling here:
https://medium.com/@ole.ersoy/application-central-nervous-system-37aba8e5...
https://medium.com/@ole.ersoy/angular-application-nervous-system-brain-68...
By all means if you want a web-enable Inkscape don't let me stop you. I was just
trying to make the point that the existing code base does not resemble what a JS version
would look like, at all. WebWorkers and a single event loop and async and sandboxing
aren't anything the project's source code takes into account now.
Now you are making my point. The code is old and the capabilities don't have
modernization drivers behind them. Look at Amazon and Walmart. Amazon has an innovation
core that drives results and innovation in all its businesses and it creates a feedback
resonance effect on all of them. The synergies are complementary because of the ecosystem
it exists in. Is Walmart going to be around in 10 years or is it going to look like
Sears? They are still using an IBM desktop from the 70s when you visit their tire center.
Drawing algorithms, sizing, etc. are easily portable and Inkscape would now participate in
an Ecosystem that is much better for its health.
Qt is pedigree tech, and it's plenty embraced. Tesla, Mercedes, etc, all use Qt. I
regularly use it for embedded, desktop (mac, linux, win) and mobile (iOS/Android).
Hardware accelerated, with multiple concurrency mechanisms. The problem with JavaScript is
there's a new popular web framework every 6 months, so by the time you're done
your Inkscape port, someone wants to do it in yet another hip new framework.
Just use Angular :)
I see your point here, but this effect also drives a lot of innovation. It's part of
what keeps the space fresh and fun. An electron app could also be a PWA framework
agnostic build using something like Google Workbox. Its not necessary to rely on a
framework and it can be quite refreshing to just build something from scratch using NPM
packages and core V8 capabilities.
Anyway, no one is changing Inkscape from GTK, so this is all moot.
I'm sure within a year we will have another really good open source SVG editor in
Javascript besides Gravit designer. Obviously most people like to stay with what they are
comfortable with and I understand and respect that. Truck drivers like to drive their
trucks. However it's also a good idea to look around and have options because this
skill is rapidly being replaced:
https://www.autobon.ai/
Cheers,
Ole