Re: VERY cool UI fix (long but hopefully interesting)

[jg pa dec com (Jim Gettys)]

I don't remember the precise scenario on how to determine input focus
reliably, or event the precise mistakes we made in the protocol design,
but I'm pretty sure it does not require hacks with timers.

				- Jim

> From: "Blad, John Erling" <john erling blad aftenposten no>
> Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 15:34:56 +0100
> To: "'jg pa dec com'" <jg pa dec com>
> Cc: Ken Fox <kfox ford com>, gnome-gui-list gnome org
> Subject: Re: VERY cool UI fix (long but hopefully interesting)
> -----
> >There are some X11 protocol design mistakes that makes it painful to
> >reliably figure out where input focus is.  I believe it can be done,
> >but is much harder than it ought to be for toolkit builders. Sorry...
> 
> >However, I object to people working around bugs unless absolutely
> >necessary: if there are real bugs in this area (where the servers aren't
> >doing what the X11 protocol demands), those servers should get
> fixed/upgraded
> >rather than working around the bugs forever.  Remember: due to Linux's
> >success, a high fraction of X servers get upgraded every year, and so we
> >should get the bugs fixed rather than suffering forever.  This is a change
> >over, say, 5 years ago, where X servers were mouldering on UNIX
> workstations
> >and getting bugs fixed were painful and hard due to a very long product
> >cycle.
> 
> >>
> >> Note that this don't use the leave event which is broken on a lot of
> >> X-servers.
> >>
> >> John
> >                              - Jim
> 
> The right way to do this is to stop the timer when the pointer leaves
> the window with the leave event, then you *know* the focus is gone. As
> I recall more or less all HP X-terminals had problems with the leave
> event.
> 
> There is at least one workaround for this where the timer is put in the
> menubar component. In this version you don't need the leave event. Downside
> is you get the last focused application instead of the last focused
> application
> where the timer went off if you don't enter the menu bar. That is, the next
> enter event fakes a leave of the previous window and the timer is "the last
> window" if the pointer doesn't enter the menubar.
> 
> There is no reason to choose one in preference to the other due to
> complexity
> but the last one will sometimes initiate an "unwanted" menubar. I belive the
> right one is the menubar of the window that had the pointer focus "for some
> time" but..
> 
> John Blad

--
Jim Gettys
Technology and Corporate Development
Compaq Computer Corporation
jg pa dec com