[Bug 729] GTKLookAndFeel should be the system look&feel on all GNU/Linux desktops

[bugzilla-daemon at icedtea.classpath.org]

http://icedtea.classpath.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=729

Mario Torre <neugens at redhat.com> changed:

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                 CC|                            |neugens at redhat.com

--- Comment #17 from Mario Torre <neugens at redhat.com> ---
Hi all, I just want to add my opinion on this thread. While I would like to see
the Gtk LAF as default on Linux (after all, it doesn't really matter if you're
running on KDE or Gnome, or whatever, the chances you don't have Gtk on your
system are really 0), we can't do this because we would possibly break existing
applications running Java on Linux.

Unfortunately, the LAF is one of the critical areas that could make the same
application render with bugs, behave incorrectly or crash, especially on Swing
where people reverted to all sort of tricks and custom components; that's why
the system defaults never changed in years.

Of course, is equally easy to force a specific look and feel, on the other end,
I expect bug reports arriving of the sort "getSystemLookAndFeel() gives me
unexpected result", fixing those bugs will mean reverting this patch, which
will mean creating an apocalyptic scenario where part of the world expect Metal
and part expect Gtk, leading to a Schrodinger look and feel implementation that
will break-fix anyone else! :)

Seriously, we *could* possibly have this default in JDK9, where people expect a
certain level of breakage and are usually forced to test their applications
from scratch, but JDK7 or JDK8 seems way too dangerous being the current
releases, we really risk to break some application.

Regarding the Gtk3, I indeed mentored a student last year. The work was not
100% finished, but working well enough to be a good starting point. As soon as
I'll find some time I'll start hacking on that, of course anyone is free to
jump in!

Here's the current code:

http://icedtea.classpath.org/people/elideu/gtk3laf/

Most of it needs to be rewritten, but as I said is a good starting point.

I would also love to work on a QT version of it.

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