[CF-Devel] sdl client

[Andreas Vogl]

I second the opinion that we need one - and only one - Crossfire
client for all platforms.

The multiple clients we have make it nearly impossible to modify
anything which affects the server-client protocol of Crossfire.
Because if we do, all the clients need to be updated - And that
is more work than one person usually can/wants to do.
I think most of us who do server-coding have run into this
problem at least once.

And especially since the CF-developer team is not very large,
we should try to spend our work as efficiently as possible.
If the SDL client is enhanced to support standard (rectangular)
png view, dropping all other clients seems justified IMHO.
I tested the SDL client on an iso-server and it appeared to
be working fine.
Furthermore, the SDL client would then have the great advantage
of working with *any* OS, for both standard- and iso view!

Naturally, the last word on this issue should have the
people who coded for cfc- and gtk-client.
(How many have done so actually, say within the last year?)

Another pending question goes to MichToen:
Are you implying to work on the SDL client if the drop of
support for the other clients would find common acceptance?
I don't want to push you there, I just figured a positive
answer might ease the decision to drop the other
clients... :o)


Andreas V.


MichToen wrote:
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      Hi
     
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      As some know, the dx client starts to be imcompatible to the
     
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      current server.
     
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      Also, i had dropped the work on the dx client.
     
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      I will remove the download site in the next time.
     
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      Reason: There is no need for the dx client anymore, because the
     
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      sdl client can all what the dx client can do too.
     
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      Sadly, no one has touched the sdl client since i had stoped work.
     
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      So, in the current state the sdl client only works for iso.
     
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      But it is easy to make a normal view with it. The sdl client is full
     
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      workable and playable but there are some things not worked out.
     
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      But in 3 days, one can make it like the dx client or the linux ones.
     
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      Well, now some had asked me to work on the client again.
     
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      The point is, that i had designed the sdl client for the reason, that
     
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      we have then ONE client for all platforms and drop the old one. But i
     
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      find, that there is no majority for it or no one is really interested.
     
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      Let me explain my mind: I spend alot of time to CF in the past, but
     
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      i will not work for things which waste my time.
     
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      We have some clients yet. I count the gtk client the other linux client as
     
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      different clients as same as the dx client,
     
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      because they use on the first glance alot the same modules,
     
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      but the really important modules which defines the real differences
     
     (x11...)
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      are different and not portable. The amount of the g11.c is 185k, thats
     
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      more than all the others "shared" modules. And of course is a 185k module,
     
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      where the whole widget and gui code is inside hidden, a dirty work.
     
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      The point is, that these different clients with the sdl client in the
     
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      same arena are senseless.
     
     ... <snip>