[Flightgear-devel] Re: [RFC] new waypoint dialog

[Melchior F. <mf...@ao...>]

* Jim Wilson -- Tuesday 09 May 2006 15:15:
> > From: Melchior FRANZ
> > 
> > FYI: these fgcommands have been removed:
[...]

> Why? Does the old code have to be removed? 

> >   old-ap-add-waypoint-dialog
> >   old-ap-pop-waypoint-dialog
> >   old-ap-clear-route-dialog

These commands were marked "deprecated" since 18-Jan-03.
src/GUI/menubar.cxx says about them:

| Deprecated wrappers for old menu commands. [...]
| DO NOT ADD TO THESE.  THEY WILL BE DELETED SOON! [...]
| These are defined in gui_funcs.cxx.  They should be replaced with
| user-configured dialogs and new commands where necessary.

And that's what happened, except that it didn't happen soon, but a *long*
time after that remarks were added, and that there is no replacement. These
three commands referred to dead code that has been removed. It was dead ever
since I joined the fgfs project (2001/3/31). I can't remember ever having
seen these hard-coded dialogs. If someone thinks they should be resurrected,
then he better has a damn well explanation. But I guess you were only
referring to these:



> >   AddWayPoint
> >   PopWayPoint
> >   ClearRoute

They didn't "have to be removed". But the functions they were referring to
are replaced by a new mechanism. Actually, the whole file where they were
defined has been removed. The question can only be why the commands weren't
rewritten. The reasons are:

 - they aren't required any more; the new method can fully replace them
 - the route manager has now some more capabilities and these three commands
   would only address a subset. They could get extended, but then the old
   names wouldn't be appropriate. In any case, they would be redundant.
 - no part in fgfs used them (admittely, foreign code could do so)
 - all fgcommands in the GUI/ directory are candidates for removal;
   only Main/fg_commands.cxx should define commands, as well as optional
   subsystems (IMHO)

But these points wouldn't explain why the old commands would have had to go.
I made clear at several occasions (twice in the thread, once in the cvs log)
that I would be willing to add the three commands (not the depreciated ones)
again if people think they should remain available. If there are good
reasons, that is. You didn't bother to mention a single one. Nostalgia
doesn't count. FlightGear shouldn't become a museum -- a collection of dead
code. That's what the Attic/ is for. Now my question is:

  Does the old code have to be kept?

I'm not pissed if I'm asked to add new commands again. But it shouldn't
be a waste of time if possible.  :-)

m.