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| == GeoClue and KDE 4.3 ==
| | {{ Moved To Community }} |
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| === Status of location awareness in KDE trunk ===
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| There are at least two programs in KDE that want to integrate location awareness: Plasma (as a data engine), and Marble. Marble has code for interacting with HostIP and a (non-working) integration of libgps. Plasma has a data engine that interacts with libgps and HostIP.
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| === Benifits of using GeoClue in KDE ===
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| GeoClue provides location awareness in a simple DBus API. Interaction with HostIP and gpsd is already possible.
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| In addition, GeoClue also provides other means of retrieving geolocation data, e.g. by using GSM cell positions on suitable devices.
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| GeoClue also allows extension via new providers which only have to depend on DBus.
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| Furthermore, GeoClue shares location data between different applications, so that only one HostIP request is needed for several applications using GeoClue framework.
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| === Drawbacks of using GeoClue in KDE ===
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| ==== Problems with the DBus API ====
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| One major problem with the API is that it is totally undocumented. Semantics of different functions are not clear at all.
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| It is believed that the SetOptions function in the org.freedesktop.Geoclue interface does not serve any use. Since providers can be shared by different applications, setting options in one application can have side-effects in another application.
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| ==== Problems with the current implementation ====
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| The current implementation depends on GConf, which is a no-go for an application used by KDE. It is questionnable whether configuration is needed at all - see also section above.
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| There is a crash in the master provider when used in combination with the gpsd provider, which makes the master provider and therefore GeoClue currently unusable for KDE.
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| The project does not seem to be very active at the moment. Response times are quite high.
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| === Possible further actions ===
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| ==== Polish the current implementation and reconsider GeoClue at a later release ====
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| Advantage: working geolocation is available in 4.3.
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| Disadvantage: every KDE application brings its own implementation.
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| ==== Urge the maintainers of GeoClue to fix the bugs in time for 4.3 ====
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| Advantage: one common desktop API for geolocation.
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| Disadvantage: dependency on external project for our feature plan.
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| ==== Fix the bugs in GeoClue ourselves in time for 4.3 ====
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| Advantage: at least the implementation gets fixed before 4.3.
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| Disadvantage: we have to take care of C code, we still have to get in touch with current maintainers to apply patches and discuss DBus API.
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| ==== Write a replacement for the GeoClue implementation in time for 4.3 ====
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| Advantage: working geolocation is available in 4.3; we have some nice C++ program.
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| Disadvantage: sounds a bit like NIH, more work than the other solutions.
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| == Resources ==
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| * http://geoclue.freedesktop.org/
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