Re: I think we should have a Gnome Window Manager

[Elliot Lee <sopwith cuc edu>]

On Thu, 12 Feb 1998, Marcus Butler wrote:

>  I really think the Gnome Project should provide a Gnome Window Manager
> (gwm?) if we hope to be accepted as a real desktop project.

Hmm, that sounds like a rather doubtful statement. I seem to remember
various threads on USENET in a similar vein:
	- Linux needs streams to be successful.
	- Linux needs raw devices if it hopes to
	be accepted.
	- Linux needs Java in the kernel.
	- Linux needs to be rewritten in Java.
	- Linux needs to be a microkernel.
	- Linux needs to be rewritten in C++.
	- Linux needs an HTTP filesystem in the kernel.
	- Linux needs 3D capabilities in the kernel (Free3D).

It brings tears to my eyes to remember those good old days... ;-)

None of these things has happened, and yet Linux is still doing quite
well, I'd say.

> One of the most important aspects of a desktop IMO is a consistent,
> coherent interface.

Partially true. I'd say there are a lot of other things more important for
reaching the end goal of easily storing and manipulating information.

> That is really not possible if a Gnome system could be running any of a
> dozen or so window-managers.

I don't agree. Do you really believe that because a window close box is
red instead of blue, or has a bomb icon instead of an X, people will not
be able to interact with the applications? Window managers implement
roughly the same features (window decorations, window manipulation
functions, and virtual desktops) across the board, varying the look,
system key bindings, etc. We will also be making patches to all popular
WM's to make them work nicely with gnome. 

Remember that the applications will all look the same.

I happen to be porting wmx to Gtk (yes, it's the umpteenth project on my
plate, but I'm not making it a priority). It's going to be small (the
original wmx source code is around 5kloc) and have some cool features that
*I* want and no other WM is going to have. I'm also probably use it as a
second testbed for implementing Gnome WM extensions, along with E (I can
almost hear raster laughing in the background :-)

Other platforms say "you must conform" - Linux+X gives you a choice.

Nobody's going to write the code for you, but at the same time
no one is stopping you from writing your own window manager - if you want
it, write it ;-)

-- Elliot					http://www.redhat.com/
"The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy way
to factor large prime numbers." -- Bill Gates from "The Road Ahead," p. 265.