How modular is GNUCash?

[Christopher Browne]

> I just purchased a Zaurus (Linux based) PDA which uses Qt as it's base 
> GUI library (as does KDE I believe).  I would love to use GnuCash on 
> this device, but more importantly, I would like to be able to allow my 
> family members to use GnuCash and they are stuck with MS windows for the 
> foreseeable future.
> 
> It would seem that a port to KDE (Qt) would be one way of solving both 
> these issues with one move. 
> 
> Q) Seeing Qt as one way to solve the portability issue, has anyone 
> looked at using the Mozilla framework (XUL)?

Any of these options would represent a /massive/ amount of effort
involving a total rewrite of the front end.

There are two ways that this would make sense:

  a) Update the RPC back end and create a KDE application using RPC.

     I don't think there's any common RPC scheme between GNOME and KDE,
     what with KDE having rejected CORBA, so this probably involves
     creating an RPC framework for KDE in addition to writing a front
     end.

  b) Write a new application that behaves as a front end, using the
     PostgreSQL back end. 

     All the pieces are there to allow it, but I think this would
     mandate pushing more of the "engine" into PostgreSQL.  (Adding in
     triggers, stored procedures, and such...)  Not necessarily a bad
     thing...

I wouldn't see XUL being /anything/ of an answer; that is an application
platform that frankly scares me, at least vis-a-vis taking it seriously
as a platform for important applications.
--
output = ("cbbrowne" "@ntlug.org")
http://www.ntlug.org/~cbbrowne/corba.html
"...once  can imagine the  government's problem.   This is  all pretty
magical stuff to  them.  If I were trying  to terminate the operations
of a witch coven, I'd probably seize everything in sight.  How would I
tell the ordinary household brooms from the getaway vehicles?"
-- John Perry Barlow