Re: How do I switch to Sawfish??

[textshell neutronstar dyndns org]

On Sun, Sep 01, 2002 at 03:06:44PM -0400, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> On Sun, 2002-09-01 at 15:23, Gaute Lindkvist wrote:
> > > Hi David,
> > > There is no easy/gui way atm unfortunatly. There are some beginings in
> > > CVS for a capplet made by Seth, but currently I don't even know if it is
> > > planned to go in anymore. Current solution is doing 'killall
> > > metacity;sawfish &' in your terminal.
> > >
> > 
> > I sure hope it ISN'T going to be part of GNOME desktop. Having a
> > simple and easily reachable GUI-way
> > of changing Window Manager is just plain wrong.
> > 
> > The Window Manager in a desktop environment should be prechosen and just
> > work. And if you really need a different Window Manager then you are
> > advanced enough to search for it in gconf-editor, do a killall ...., or
> > just ask someone how to do it.

All software sucks, force one window manager at the user when there is no single
window manager that it the least sucking one for most users (many gnome
developers uses Metacity many other use sawfish). I don't think this is really a
thing we should remove from the UI. Yes it isn't the thing to ask a user at the
first time login ;-), but many other preferences are in this category, too.
Choice isn't alway bad, although it has a cost. I'm sure metacity is not the
right solution for every user, and sawfish certainly isn't either.


> 
> This I agree with.  Another solution maybe to have this placed in a
> special area in the control-center.  "Advanced" may not be the place,
> since too many users think they are advanced.  ~,^  Perhaps the tool
> could just be placed in the System menu?
> 

If someone thinks he is advanced then why bother? Afterall switching a
window-manager should be a safe thing to do, as long as it is gnome compliant
(other wont show up in the UI) is dosn't break things to much.
If we want to protect users from feeling "advanced" and breaking the system it
might be better to have some configureation snapshot and rollback features (esp.
with instant apply).

And I think in most cases a well know location in the UI for some setting is
better than a obfuscated, undocumented and hidden setting is some kind of
registry. Hidden stuff just to often leaves user no other option than reinstall
(My friend swiched the WM to 'some really cool WM' and i updated gnome and it
won't work. Because there is not UI to change it back how should the normal user
restore the system?)


regards,
	Martin H.