Re: Updates?

Julun wrote:
> 
> I intended more to have a separate "Save as PDF" menu item, which indeed 
> uses the hopefully existing printing code, to write out the file 
> directly based on the applications stored BPrinter.

Why create a separate menu item for a specific file format? What happens when 
the user wants to save to PNG, or DOC, or XML, will the file menu have "Save as 
<FIlE TYPE>"  for each FILE TYPE menu item in the File menu?  Of course not, and 
the reason is one of dependency. Creating a "Save as PDF" creates a hard 
dependency between the GUI and the function of saving various file types. That's 
why translators were invented, so that this dependency can be broken and allow 
system-wide functionality that essentially comes free with every program.

Although technically difficult to do, and perhaps all the more reason to do it, 
creating a PDF translator is not impossible. The issue, from what I can 
understand from the conversations here, is one of pagination. So, assume that 
this translator needs to display a dialog allowing the user to select a page 
size and various other properties once they click the Save As button in the file 
output dialog. Problem solved.

Technically selecting a PDF drop down menu in the "Save As..." dialog for a 
translator should be no more complex than making a "Save as PDF" menu item, but 
it makes a lot of difference to the users, and to the quality of the software 
engineering used in the OS.

However, I tend to agree that this is an R2 issue and that there are more 
pressing items to be solved for R1.

Simon