Saturday, November 3, 2012

Quanta update

Back in the good old KDE 3 times there was a quite nice application for doing web development: Quanta+.

The plan was to base Quanta 4 on the same library KDevelop 4 uses - however development for Quanta itself stalled. See also my blog post from exactly 3 years ago - the situation didn't change much since then.

An update for contributors to Quanta/KDevelop plugins:
Last week in Vienna I moved out all plugins from Quanta into their own independent repository; we now have:
each as independent repository allowing to build or work on a single one.

So there is actually a lot happening for Quanta 4 - without even mentioning the kdev-python or kdev-ruby plugins - languages we never had support for in Quanta 3 times.

What's left in quanta? Well - basically an empty skeleton. Quanta is dead. Long live KDevelop.

52 comments:

  1. A good plan IMHO. It works well having web development folded in MS DevStudio, it would be good to see similar in KDevelop with all its Code tool goodies.

    None of the plug-ins you list explicitly handle HTML, is that something that's missing or part of something else?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The xml plugin handles HTML - also in it's SGML form.

      However development stopped on it and it's hard to continue as it's a bit "overdesigned" imho. Maybe one should be started from scratch.

      Delete
    2. Goolge you will find what you are looking fore, just try

      Delete
  2. Ah the classics - excessive design, nearly as bad as no design ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've always managed my self developed websites with Quanta+. Particularly the ftp client worked perfectly - I just needed to press F8, and the changed files were uploaded to the site. Setting up the FTP account was simple. I haven't found a development kit that does that so easily. KDevelop is far too much for the little things I have to do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The kdev-upload plugin allows you to do exactly that. I'll announce the beta release of the plugin later on this blog. (including a short manual)

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the update and the work on it. The plan is good, and this was the actual plan back in time. I didn't test yet how it works, so I can't comment on it, i just can say in general why Quanta+ was loved by the user and by the developer:
    - for the users I tend to think it had a good interface that was not so cluttered and was focused to make developing AND publishing websites easy.
    - for the developer(s) it was fun as it actually combined and used almost everything KDE provided (KIO, KParts, XMLGUI, GetHotNewStuff)
    - a bonus was the configuration and easy extensibility with Kommander scripts

    KDevelop does a lot from the second, but unfortunately its UI is far from being user friendly. I use it daily, and sorry, i find it ugly and sometimes confusing. There is a need sometimes for small touches and fixes to make it good, but I don't see this kind of focus in KDevelop development. Just one example: the texteditor (Katepart) menu integration is quite ugly. One could get used to it, but it is not nice. I know it is not easy to do it right, and you need some workaround around it, but it is possible. Or there are some issues with the toolbars (some elements not correctly restored, the debugger toolbar behaving strange from time to time and a certain unstability). Anyway, I don't want to bash KDevelop, as it is my favorite IDE, but in this regard it is behind IMO with what Quanta+ was. It is ahead in many other things though, I like quite some features of the Project view (still misses some of the Quanta features, like "favorite" folders, or remote projects), the VCS integration, etc.

    Once again, thanks for working on this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please report Bugs/Wishes regarding the KDevelop UI to bugs.kde.org or discuss them on the mailinglist.

      Delete
  5. I used to love quanta, and used it constantly before it's death. Nothing compares to it.

    I'm using ubuntu 12.10. I've installed kdevelop using apt-get, but it doesn't come with the kdev-xml plugin. The plugin isn't in the repo's either. Nor can I find any instructions on how to install it without install kdevelop from source.

    There are no instructions on employing plugins in the user manual or the FAQ.

    Has the kdevelop project published plugin installation instructions anywhere?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. not all plugins are useable, here a short overview:

      stable:
      kdev-php, kdev-php-docs

      beta:
      kdev-xdebug, kdev-executebrowser, kdev-sql, kdev-upload (not public yet)

      alpha (no release yet):
      kdev-css

      unfinished/unusable:
      kdev-xml
      kdev-php-formatter
      kdev-crossfire


      ....so KDevelop has *no* explicit HTML language support. However you can edit HTML just fine with syntax highlighting, word completion and everyting kate provides.

      Delete
  6. Instead of word completion, how about changing of special characters into the respective HTML-code? I am German and publish German texts with the Umlauts quite often. When I typed in Quanta, it just transoformed the Umlauts, e.g. from "ü" to "ü", on the fly. That's extremely useful and much more effective than search & replace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you really still need that, isn't everything in utf-8 nowadays?

      Delete
    2. Well, when I look at some messages I get via E-Mail, I'm sure it's still needed. Scrambled up Umlauts are quite common.

      Delete
  7. I have zero interest in Kdevelop. I like using Quanta+ 3.5. The name Quanta should be taken off Kdevelop. It is like KDE4 an attempt to bundle too many programs together. I see no features of the original Quanta in that conglomeration. I think the KDE folk should have wised up when the posts came in from people who were switching to XFCE because of the sluggish and uncertain response of KDE4 and to Claws-Mail because of the unnecessary integration of Kmail with Akonadi.

    The future of Quanta, if it has a future, would lie in taking the 3.5 code and interface and porting it to QT 4. The features of html5 need to be added. The Kdevelop people have another agenda however. I don't need the project control features of Kdevelop. I have been keeping track of software projects since 1968 without the aid of all that overhead. It is a solution looking for an application.

    John Culleton

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you don't like KDevelop - don't use it. That simple.

      Delete
    2. Fine. Now can someone take the Quanta Plus code and port it to KDE4? Same look and feel?

      John C.

      Delete
    3. My linux with Ubuntu 11.10 crashed and I had to do a complete reinstall. I had Quanta and used it for years. Trying to recover, I can't get Quanta 3.5.8 to install. The ./configure command errors out because of not finding "kde-config", so no makefile gets generated.

      I'm crushed because Quanta was perfect for my web work. I sure don't want any part of KDevelop.

      If anyone can point me to a tutorial re installing Quanta I'd sure appreciate it.

      Delete
    4. Quanta 3 needs kdelibs 3 - also known as trinity. The easiest would be to use trinity binary packages for your distribution.

      Delete
  8. OK, so I'm trying to use KDevelop while trying to get my Quanta back running. I found the kdev-upload plugin, downloaded extracted to the kdev folder (right?). How do I get to it from the KDevelop program to set it up? The screen shots don't show that. Sorry, I'm a 78 year old amateur and need guidance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. see here: http://userbase.kde.org/KDevelop4/Manual/Appendix_A:_Building_KDevelop_from_Sources

      the repository is named kdev-upload

      Delete
  9. Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write
    juegos juegos | juegos matar | jogo friv

    ReplyDelete
  10. Our facilitated intelligent voice reaction (IVR) frameworks give undertaking level security, versatility, and a 100% uptime ensure all inside of the cloud.IVR number

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is really awesome. Full of knowledge and latest information about web site software Buzz Apps

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great things you've always shared with us. Thanks. Just continue composing this kind of post....
    web design Toronto

    ReplyDelete
  13. The blog or and best that is extremely useful to keep I can share the ideas
    of the future as this is really what I was looking for, I am very comfortable and pleased to come here. Thank you very much.
    earn to die 3
    Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and finally got the
    courage to go ahead and give youu a shout out from
    earn to die 6
    Austin Texas! Just wanted to tell
    earn to die 5
    Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and finally got the
    happy wheels
    strike force heroes
    slitherio
    you keep up the fantastic work!my weblog
    earn to die 5
    good game empire
    tank trouble 2
    earn to die 6

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you for bringing more information to this topic for me. I’m truly grateful and really impressed. Please visit https://goo.gl/IxhLcF

    ReplyDelete
  15. Every web solution company should provide the services in joomla website development,Wordpress development,Magento development and ecommerce development.Then only that company would considered as good web design company by consumers.
    SEO Experts Lounge
    Web Development Company in Pakistan
    Web Designing Company Pakistan
    SEO Company in Lahore
    PPC Service in Pakistan

    ReplyDelete
  16. Is there any chance to get https://cgit.kde.org/kdev-sql.git and https://cgit.kde.org/kdev-upload.git working as plugin in current kdevelop 5.x?

    kdevelop5 is a fine replacement for quanta concerning connecting source and documentation - but I liked the upload part of quanta. And I am missing the sql extension of kate when working with kdevelop …

    ReplyDelete
  17. The post is really good, we will use above mentioned strategy in our Website Design company in Bangalore.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow thats a wonderful post and very helpful, thanks for the information.
    best marine institute in india

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write.

    Top 10 Schools In Coimbatore

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Il tempo è gratis ( bán đá Sapphire thô ) non ha prezzo. Non puoi possederlo,( vòng đá ruby đỏ ) ma puoi usarlo. Puoi usarlo, ma non puoi tenerlo.( đá spinel ) Una volta perso, non sarai( đá ruby đỏ lục yên ) in grado di recuperarlo.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I’m really amazed with your posting skills as well as with the layout on your blog site. We are top Mobile App Development Company in Delhi.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for posting this information... i am also follow your post.. very helpful for me

    My name is Yogesh Gaur, lives in Delhi, India. Hey everyone, I am a Digital blogger that writes for Google and SEO updates. You can check my blogs at my website. If talking personally, I like listening music and optimizing the content for various Search engines like Bing and Google. Digital Marketing Tips

    ReplyDelete
  24. Nice article and Useful Information. Thanks for sharing.
    If you are looking for Best seo company Delhi.
    Please visit our Blog to acquire the complete Best seo company strategies.
    Low Cost SEO Services in Delhi
    Affordable Web Design Company
    Affordable Website Design and Development
    Low Cost SEO Services in Delhi
    SEO Services Delhi
    SEO Consultant Delhi

    ReplyDelete
  25. Nice article and Useful Information. Thanks for sharing.
    If you are looking for Best seo company Delhi.
    Please visit our Blog to acquire the complete Best seo company strategies.
    SEO Services Delhi
    Affordable Web Design Company
    Affordable Website Design and Development
    Low Cost SEO Services in Delhi
    SEO Services Delhi
    SEO Consultant Delhi




    ReplyDelete
  26. The blog is absolutely truly incredible. Lots of large information and inspiration, both of which we all need.Professional Web design services are provided by W3BMINDS- Website designer in Lucknow.
    Web development Company | Web design company

    ReplyDelete
  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Many people ask Gogoanime, legal or illegal. yes, it is totally legal. This site running legally. You can watch a whole range of anime series free.
    Many people ask Gogoanime, legal or illegal. yes, it is totally legal. This site running legally. You can watch a whole range of anime series free. Everyone can enjoy watching with their family member. You can watch the latest gogoanime at gogoanimetoday.com.

    ReplyDelete
  29. In each dialogue box, the movies chronologically segregated in descending order.
    This site is very organized and very possible. The film can be searched alphabetically.
    From 0-9 and the alphabets individually can be searched.Hollywood, Bollywood, Malayalam, Tamil
    and Telugu movies. Once you open the website, you will be able to see a range of options.123Movies,
    GoMovies, GoStream, MeMovies or 123movieshub,movierulz,hindi movies,Bollywood | Hollywood | Songs | Punjabi
    | Hindi Dubbed | Songs | Hindi Webseries Season | Netfilix | ULLU App

    In a separate dialogue box, we can search by the plethora of the genres provided to us. Action, animation, adventure,
    biography, comedy, crime, documentary, drama, family, fantasy, film-noir, game show, history, horror, music, musical, mystery,
    news, reality show, romance, sci-fi, sports, talk- show, thriller, war and western and various genres can be found here.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Still want to memor relating to some broad matters, All the site trend is normally wonderful, all the articles or reviews actually is nice: Defense. ดูอนิเมะ

    ReplyDelete
  31. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I think this is an informative post and it is very helpful and knowledgeable. So I want to thank you for your efforts in writing this article. All content is well thought out. Thank. dune buggy rental dubai

    ReplyDelete