Re: Coming proposal (was: Window Manager compliance)

["Michael Rogers" <bastard_machine hotmail com>]

>I will work on a formal proposal (written in SGML) that lists all
>features which should "go away" if the WM is being used under Gnome. Does
>anyone have any suggestions?  Off the top of my head, I can think of:
>
>1) Background images  (the catalyst to this whole discussion)
>2) Screensavers and screensaver configuration (and screen locking)
>3) Minimized window icons (or *any* icons appearing on the desktop)
>4) Program Launcher applets (Panels, Wharfs, Start Bars, whatever would
>duplicate or conflict with the Gnome panel)
>5) Root window clicks (this is already there, right?)

It is. At the moment the window manager passes on any unwanted root window 
clicks to a proxy window so that other apps can use them. If a desktop 
manager was created which had its own virtual root windows, it could pass on 
unwanted desktop clicks to the real root window so that the window manager 
could use them. No changes to the spec or WM code are needed.

>6) Task-list  (showing what apps are running)

I'd like to keep this optional, otherwise we are tied to the Gnome pager. I 
wouldn't like any parts of Gnome other than the desktop manager and session 
manager to be "required", and the pager is still buggy. I also don't 
consider window lists to be part of Gnome's job - I think they fall to the 
window manager.

>7) Application "buttons" (by this, I mean the MS Windows95-like
>functionality that a running program has a smaller, rectangular box with
>the name of the application in which, when clicked, takes you directly to
>that application.  In AfterStep this is called the WinList module.  Anyone
>have a better name for it?)

I'd call it a taskbar. Again, I think some window managers do this better 
than the Gnome pager at present so I'd like it to be optional.

>8) Desktop-related sounds (sounds relating to window operations)
>9) Logging in and logging out (i.e., starting and stopping X.  Gnome needs
>the session manager to have a chance to save the desktop layout)
>
>10) File Management  (we should enforce the use of gmc)

I disagree that gmc should be required. However, file management is 
certainly not part of a window manager's job whether gmc is used or not.

>11) Multiple Desktops (aka Pagers)

I think the window manager should handle virtual desktops (deciding which 
windows to display on which desktop), but it shouldn't decorate the root 
window to indicate which desktop is being used.


Michael Rogers


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