Default WM theme settings

[Jens Knutson <tempest chartermi net>]

If I may be so bold, I'd like to propose something completely different
from the Crux options being presented here. :) 

As brought up by Jeff Waugh way back in September*, I would like to
propose that the "Klarth" theme (http://www.themes.org/themes/253/ ) be
the default instead of Crux, and I believe it is with good reason.  

* (see this post:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/usability/2001-September/msg00230.html ) 


Taken from the README, some of the advantages of Klarth are as follows:

- No resize handles or maximize button on non-resizable windows. 
- Resizes the titlebar's height so the text fits in it. 
(Most other themes which leave too much blank space with small fonts and
cut off text with large fonts.) 
- Recolors almost the entire frame to match your GTK theme's colors;
including text (for contrast). Works with light and dark themes. 
(Crux only recolors the highlight; not the grey areas or the text,
making it ugly with very dark themes and unusable with white hilights.) 
- Configurable button position themes. (like Crux) 
- Titlebar icon is alpha blended and is scaled with the same proportions
(nautilus' rectangular icon is not smushed into a square) 
- Changes button states based on window states. 
(The maximize icon changes to an unmaximized icon; shading could easily
do so pending a sawfish bug fix.) 

--------

In addition to these, the "Classic" button layout offers many advantages
as well.  First, while Klarth is already pretty Fitt's-law-friendly with
regards to the size of buttons, the Classic theme extends this even
further by arranging buttons like so:

 ____________//_______
|v|^|               |x|
 ------------//-------
 ^ ^                 ^
 | |                 |
 | Maximize         Close
 |
 Minimize

This layout does a few things.  First, it puts the close button at the 
upper right hand corner of the window, and will thus be an easy
transition for  Windows users.  This, IMHO, is far superior to placing
the close button at the upper left hand corner anyway, because putting
it on the left side can cause people to accidentally hit the close
button when they mean to hit the File menu in an application; NOT a good
thing. :)  Second, it separates the minimize and maximize buttons away
from the close button, which, like in the previous example, prevents
users from accidentally hitting close.  Finally, it puts minimize to the
left of the maximize to make window buttons consistent between resizable
and non-resizable windows.

I've put up a screenshot with a resizable and non-resizable window using
Klarth's "Classic" layout at http://upevil.net/klarth.png so you can see
for yourselves.

Gnome 2 is really our "big chance" to make decisions about things like
the default button layout for sawfish.  After this, change will likely
be viewed as impossible; we'll be committed to the layout.  I think it
would be a great shame to miss this opportunity to go with something
truly *usable* instead of just slavishly following Windows.

Also, for those worried about screenshots, if we switch to Klarth, I'd
be more than happy to volunteer to take new ones to put up on the
dotplan site, or wherever else they need to go.

Thoughts?

-- 
Jens Knutson
Network Administrator
Charter Communications
1215 15th Street North
Saint Cloud, MN 56303
Office: 320-229-7336
Fax: 320-240-0628
-- 
Jens Knutson
Network Administrator
Charter Communications
1215 15th Street North
Saint Cloud, MN 56303
Office: 320-229-7336
Fax: 320-240-0628