[Qt5-feedback] Qt5's qmake

[Charley Bay]

>
> Lars spaketh:
> > I've no problems having an open discussion around the topic. I simply
> want
> > to avoid tying this to 5.0, as it really isn't on the critical path of
> > getting Qt 5.0 out (whatever build system we use, the resulting libs will
> > be the same...)
>

Frans respondeth:

> Obviously I wasn't trying to dispute this; more so I agree with you. I
> just wanted to emphasize the community need for an open discussion
> about the tool.
>

It may make sense to have some kind of "mission/goal" statement for Qt5 so
we can best calibrate our expectations regarding the release, and to
establish clear priorities/trade-offs.  For example, I'm getting the
impression the Qt5 mission/goal would be something like, "QML becomes First
Class Citizen", or "RewriteGraphics Stack", etc.

I'm *hugely* interested in the QMake discussion (I read every post on it
here and elsewhere, and have practically memorized all the responses to the
Trolls' 2009 blog posts on QMake), but concede quickly that Lars is probably
correct, that QMake need not be on the Qt5 "critical path" (since the
release seems to be most focused on the maturing of QML).  Since I'm also a
*huge* QML fan, I can live with that.

Similarly, I agree that it may also be appropriate to take this time to
establish the requirements for such a QMake-replacement (whatever form that
may be), even if it is not tied to Qt5.  While QMake need not be tied to the
"critical path" for Qt5, it seems like the issue of "build" itself will
be:  As a QML user, IMHO, it should be trivial to toggle the loading of my
*.qml resource files from the local file system (for development), and then
bundle them into the executable for final deployment, and perhaps to have
hybrid "some-in/some-out".  While perhaps technically not a "build" issue,
(it's a resource deployment issue), I would expect the "build system" to
perform that easily-toggled-bundling, and I'd similarly expect other "helps"
like auto-syntax-checking of my QML files that were being bundled.  (If the
QML syntax would fail, the resource would not be bundled, and the build
would fail.)

It's *possible* these issues are easily addressed in a build system.
However, I'm not-yet-confident that the new QML paradigm, mobile, and
new-platform issues are this simple.  For example, in my
"happiest-of-dreams", I'd do all my desktop development to satisfaction,
toggle a single build switch, and end up with a Lighthouse-executable to run
on Android.

Sorry, I've got to sign off now.  The medical staff just arrived here for my
next "treatment".

--charley
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