[Sugar-devel] Sugar App Launcher

[D. Joe]

On Sun, May 21, 2017 at 08:00:47AM +0800, Tony Anderson wrote:

> On 05/20/2017 08:32 PM, D. Joe wrote:
> >On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 02:06:55PM +0800, Tony Anderson wrote:
> >
> >>Also not disagreeing. I am curious as to the limitation you see in the direct
> >>execution model and how what you are doing will improve on it. Gnome is the
> >>desktop we get with Sugar (13.2.8) but I suspect the command line (subprocess)
> >>technique would work with xfce and others.
> >If command-line tools were considered acceptable for use by young learners,
> >we wouldn't have Sugar in the first place. But they're not. What's more,
> >command line tools are largely seen as unacceptable for the majority of
> >computer users, whether young learners or not.
> >
> >I'm truly befuddled why this is even a question, and I say this as someone
> >who spends more time than most in a command line.

> I think you missed the point. The fact that a gnome application runs in
> sugar from the command line means it works there. 

So far, so good.

> The next step is to write a simple wrapper so that it can be executed from
> the Home View as an activity.

Good, I think we're getting to the heart of this question here, which is to
say, why should this remain the next step?

> I usually start with HelloWorld and insert a subprocess call to
> the gnome application.
> This allows the learner to execute Libre Office, gimp, and other
> applications in the familiar Sugar environment.

My understanding of Sebastian's approach is that it would, in fact, be a
wrapper for these programs, but instead of requiring bespoke wrappers be
written for each application, it would leverage existing .desktop files.

This seems further reaching, more sustainable, and better integrated with
other desktop efforts.

That is, unless the wrappers you write do something other than launch the
programs? Say, offer a more native Sugar interface? Are these wrappers
available somewhere in a public repository better to allow us to compare and
contrast what they do with what Sebastian proposes?

-- 
Joe