Re: Desktop-Wide User Status

[Sebastian Kapfer <s kapfer_usenet gmx net>]

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 14:38:19 -0400, Robert Love wrote:

> On Tue, 2004-09-07 at 12:47 -0400, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> 
> 
>> Best bet there, I'd wager, is to D-BUS-ize xscreensaver and whenever it
>> kicks in, send a signal, letting any interested apps know you're not
>> around.  Would be useful for a whole ton of other stuff, too.  (Power
>> saving, etc.)
> 
> Having the xscreensaver D-BUS signal trigger the away mechanism is a
> good idea, but I agree with the earlier posts that we need a global
> concept of personal presence.

Wouldn't it be more logical to make xscreensaver a _client_ to the
hypothetical gnome-user-surveillance-daemon?  I.e. when the daemon detects
that the user is AFK, it would send a signal to its clients (DBUS or gconf
or whatever).  Clients would be instant messengers (setting away status),
xscreensaver (starting a nice OpenGL hack), cron3000 (maintenance tasks)
and so on.

Other types of clients (like Totem or a presentation software) could
signal that the user doesn't really want to be disturbed right now but
also doesn't want his/her screensaver to kick in.  (It's always a good
laugh when Windows Update decides to announce itself in the middle of a
presentation.)

This scheme also has the added benefit that xscreensaver is not a required
component.  Some simple screen locking program would still be nice.  The
Lock Screen menu item from the foot menu would of course trigger
surveillance-daemon, too.

-- 
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