Version: (using KDE 4.2.0) Installed from: Gentoo Packages A lot of content is managed by KNewStuff already, but not all KDE-related content can be managed by it, yet. And with this I mean content that needs to be compiled — e.g. KWin themes, Plasmoids that are not scripts, KStyles. Since such compiled content can still be safely installed in the '~/.kde/' directory, I propose that KNewStuff (and with it GHNS) should be extended so that it could download, compile and manage versions of such content. Since most such KDE compilable content is very similar to compile and install, I think it would be possible without KNewStuff having to evolve into something akin to Gentoo Portage ;)
I do think this will be very nontrivial. Since KDE software runs on multiple platforms, this would require every user on each platform to have the build requirements installed. Distributing binaries is not the goal of get hot new stuff. Instead scripts and other non compiled contents is the target.
I imagine it wouldn't be trivial, but then GHNS kind of loses its potential to some extent. I mean this would mean that GHNS is being used for non-compiled artwork and scripts, while distros still have to take care of compiled artwork (e.g. KWin deco, KDE styles etc.). So Instead of just leaving one platform — either GHNS or distros' package management — handle everything, the user has to maintain both. I find that suboptimal in the long run.
The difference between the two, compiling-needed vs. no-compiling-needed content, isn't immediately obvious to users: a "decoration" of any kind is a decoration, a "program" is a program. Why should one have to compile a window decoration, by its very name a "decoration", rather than a "program"?