Re: Random thought...

[Tom Vogt <tom lemuria org>]

Dan Effugas Kaminsky <effugas@best.com> wrote:
[...]
> so you're arguing that we should keep quit in the file menu in order to
> be consistent with _other gui's_?
> 
> i won't insult your intelligence by telling you what's wrong with that
> argument.
[...]

lots of stuff snipped.

ok, I - and I guess most people around - see that it's all a matter of
interpretation. to me, this is quite different from what you make out of it.


> BUT.
> 
> GNOME needs an identity, a starting point, a well designed base of
> operations from which extender wm's can operate and users can
> pick-and-choose their level of extension.  You know, one of the smartest
> parts of Windows themes are the fact that you don't have to retheme
> everything--want to retheme just sounds, or just colors, or everything but
> mouse pointers?  You can do that.  Like Bowie loves to say--open, but
> controlled ;-)

so how about this proposal: gnome should ship with installable
configurations for all compliant window managers. it's the job of the wm
people to provide these settings. if possible, the settings should include
variables, because upon install gnome should test for those wms and if it
finds the user uses one of them, should ask him if he wants to update his wm
configuration.
this "update" should aim to keep as much of the user's settings as possible,
via said variables.

or in other words: lots of users should be able to switch to gnome but keep
the interface they're used to. gnome should be an enhancement, not a
replace.



-- 
Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly.
		-- Henry Spencer