ANN: PyKDE now does KDE plugins

[Jim Bublitz]

The latest release of PyKDE (3.8.0) includes the ability to write
KDE panel applets completely in Python -- absolutely no C++
required. This is the first in what's planned to be a number of
extensions for PyKDE that allow plugins and related objects to
be created entirely in Python; David Boddie is nearing release
of modules for authoring KParts for export (PyKDE already
imports KParts), KDE Control Center modules, and IOSlaves.

Future plans include allowing QWidget subclasses created in
Python to be imported into Qt Designer with complete
functionality, and possibly Python scripting and plugins for KDE
apps like KOffice and Kontact. The underlying mechanisms and
code are similar in all cases.

In some cases, specific .so libs will still be required (depends
on the plugin loader), but the Python modules will include
autogeneration of the necessary C++ code, along with installers
to simplify the task of making the plugins available.

PyKDE 3.8.0 requires SIP 3.8 and PyQt 3.8. While the PyKDE 3.8.0
tarball is available now, it will be several days or more before
RPM and Debian packages are available. You can check the PyKDE
mailing list for more info. PyKDE-3.8.0 supports any version of
KDE from 3.0.0 through 3.1.4.

PyKDE 3.8.0 is also the last release that will support Python
versions below 2.3, and the last that will work with sip 3.8
(sip 4.0 is already in pre-release). However, support on 3.8.0
(bug fixes and some enhancements) will continue for the
forseeable future.

PyKDE, PyQt and sip are available at:
http://riverbankcomputing.co.uk

Info on KDE panel applets is at:
http://www.riverbankcomputing.co.uk/pykde/docs/panapp1.html

The PyKDE mailing list is at:
http://mats.imk.fraunhofer.de/mailman/listinfo/pykde

Jim