custom widget and File observer

["D.H. Bahr" <dbahr uci cu>]

Hello everyone!

I'm working on a teaching exercise: implementing a LifeStream
application (for those not aware: LifeStream is an alternative for the
desktop metaphor; more info can be found on the book 'Beyond the Desktop
Metaphor' published by MIT Press). 
The application would consist solely on a "Stream Browser" providing
access to (and only to) user own files, that is: all files within the
user dirs (e.g: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Public, Download and
Home directories, recursively off course).

Since I don't intent to create a full working environment (yet), but
only a "stream" browser I have come to an issue: how to ensure files not
"processed" within the application (that is files copied/created using
other file browsers or the command line shell) are included effectively
on the stream data structure. My current bet is placed on the idea I can
create an Observer daemon which is somehow notified that any file on the
specific 'observed' directories has been accessed. Is this even
possible??

The other thing I would like to ask is: I want to create a composite
widget for the visual representation of file streams, something in the
fashion of iTunes where there is the current file in the center of the
screen and at the left of it there's a pile of the previous files and at
the right there's another pile of the next files. Can use clutter for
this?? Anyone has a working sample willing to share with me?

Best regards and thanks for every consideration on this matter,
-- 

                                                         Sw.E. D.H. Bahr
                                         Nova Desktop Development Leader
                                      CESOL (Free/Libre Software Centre)
                                UCI (University of Informatics Sciences)
                                                            Havana, Cuba




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