Re: [Libreoffice-commits] core.git: tdf#89870: Add config option for layout engine

On Fri, Nov 04, 2016 at 11:12:59AM +0100, Stephan Bergmann wrote:
> On 11/03/2016 06:23 PM, Khaled Hosny wrote:
> > commit 6324efd70dfa8c6be84cba1fa29658e3373cbbe3
> > Author: Khaled Hosny <khaledhosny@eglug.org>
> > Date:   Thu Nov 3 19:21:01 2016 +0200
> >
> >     tdf#89870: Add config option for layout engine
> >
> >     The env variable takes precedence.
>
> Do we really need this?  I've read through
> <https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=89870#c28> and
> following, but I'm not too convinced.
>
> * How long will we keep supporting the old code?  "Forever", or do we have a
> clear idea when to drop it?

It should go away sometime after 5.3 is released. Would it be an issue
to just drop the configuration option then as well?

> * Who exactly is the perceived audience of setting that configuration
> option, vs. setting the environment variable?

Mainly end users who might have a serious bug with the new layout
engine and can’t easily set env variables, since setting env variables
on Windows and Mac can be tricky. 

I guess I’m just being extra cautious. I have no strong preference for
the configuration option and I’d rather have everyone use the new code,
but since the old code is there already why not make it slightly easier
for people to use it if they need to?

> And the use of a string ("new" vs. "old", instead of a bool or an integer
> enumeration), presumably intended to make manually editing it in the
> advanced configuration options pane easier, solves that usability issue in
> the wrong way IMO.

I was going to use a boolean, but now I don’t actually remember why a
string seemed like a better idea.

Regards,
Khaled