Multiple DeskTops, HiColor theme, standardized icon names, & menu icons

[James Richard Tyrer]

Kenneth Wimer wrote:
> 
> On Jun 29, 2006, at 12:20 AM, James Richard Tyrer wrote:
> 
>> Thiago Macieira wrote:
>>> Rodney Dawes wrote:
>>>> James and I agreed that app-specific icons should be installed to the
>>>> $XDG_DATA_DIRS/$appname/icons/$theme/... path structure, and that these
>>>> such paths should be added automatically to the search list by the icon
>>>> theme implementation. I already have a working patch that adds this to
>>>> the GTK+ icon theme implementation. I just need to write a patch to the
>>>> spec to include this, and get it in, along with getting the GTK+ patch
>>>> in, and KDE needs a patch to look there and fall back to apps/... for
>>>> backward compat.
>>> I agree that icon loader implementations should be able to load 
>>> application-specific icons on-the-fly, but I don't agree that the 
>>> method should be part of the icon theme specification, or where those 
>>> applications should keep their files.
>>> For example, applications could decide to keep the icons in the 
>>> executables themselves, or keep it in a large .zip file or any other 
>>> method.
>>
>> We have KDE apps that don't store their icons in the standard 
>> location.  This isn't good.  But, the point is that for different 
>> DeskTops to become more interoperatable, they need to do things in the 
>> same way. This is a first step that may not have any immediate 
>> benefits, but it is still needed for future benefits.  So, the 
>> location where apps should install their private themed icons is a 
>> relevant part of the spec.
> 
> If they are privately themed icons (your words) why should it matter 
> where they put them?

This probably doesn't make much difference (at least for now) for KDE 
apps and GNOME apps because they will continue to use their respective 
icon loaders to load the icons.  But, what about third party apps? 
There needs to be standard so that they can have the DeskTop (probably 
through Portland) load the themed icons.  Third party apps need ONE 
standard to follow for menus, icons, MIME types, widget themes, color 
schemes, etc.

> Perhaps they are private for a reason?

They are private because only one application uses them.  IIUC, this is 
done so that they don't clog up the global icon directories.

-- 
JRT