GTK+ 2.14 will be released in a few days. This seems like a good time to send out an update on the GTK+ 3 plans.
Once the 2.14 release has happened, we will branch off a 2.90 branch.
Development towards 2.16 will proceed on trunk, in parallel to the 2.90 development.
The goal is to have a 2.16 release by next summer (traditionally targeting Guadec). The following features are already under development and will likely land in 2.16:
- support for icons in entries
- better handling of invisible characters
- flippable boxes, separators, etc
- resolution independence/font scaling
- complete offscreen window support
- extended layout (width-for-height)
- a tool palette widget
- a simple list api
The 2.90 release will be feature-wise equivalent to 2.16, with structure contents being completely sealed and deprecated 2.x interfaces removed. 2.90 will be installable in parallel with 2.16.
After the 2.16/2.90 releases, GTK+ 2.x will continue to be supported by bug-fix releases on the 2.16 branch, while the 2.90 branch will move ahead with new feature development, leading to a GTK+ 3 release further down the road.
For more details on the work towards 2.90 and beyond, see the GTK+ 3.0 Tasks page. We will also add more GTK+ 3 information to the GTK+ website in the coming weeks.
Next Summer? I guess that means mid-2009.