Re: GEM : Gnome Event Manager

[Urmane Hendrake <urmane urmane org>]

> Olivier> It would be interesting to have a central piece of software
> Olivier> through which apps could pipe their important events. It
> Olivier> would allow the user to choose actions associated with
> Olivier> events. This could be done as a new layer over the CORBA
> Olivier> Event Service.
> 
> I agree that we need something like an event service.
[snip]
> Another generic service it would be useful to have is a confirmation
> interface.  A confirmation is like an event, but the consumer can veto
> the action.
[snip]
> I'm curious to know what others think about this.

I'll preface this by saying I try to follow in as much depth as I can, but
am a little shallow on the important bits.  Forgive me in advance if this
is too newbie ;-)

How about, instead of just stopping at a confirmation interface, breaking
apart a whole wad of widgets and making them generic services?  When app X
needs a filename, it CORBA's to your gui object to see if it has a
FileDialog object registered, and, if it does, asks CORBA to fire it up and
return a filename.  (If there isn't one, just use the filedialog widget in
the library.)  Don't like the filedialog widget?  Write another one.  Make
it print in 24 point and have blinkenlights.

If this isn't a completely stupid idea, you could, if you wished, install all
kinds of custom widgets to handle ... whatever.  Netscape5 take more than
your measly 64Mb of RAM?  Write a wrapper around a small fast HTML widget.
Menubars too dull?  Write an imlib/enlightened version that does cool pie
menus.

This is sorta a wierd combination of the vaunted "push" and customized widgets.
Consistent look & feel?  Sure, by default.  But it provides an alternative
to those who JUST CAN'T STAND that damn file dialog! <grin>

Treat the whole logged-in display as an object.  Ask the gui to make speaks
with the user and return a filename.  Dump the contents of this .html into
the gui's preferred html viewer.  Ask for confirmation.  Play the "warning"
sound, whatever it is.

Too radical?  Too Microsoft? (registered types?  eeuww.  But it's not, really)
Comments? <ducks, dons asbestos suit>

-- 
                                                               Urmane Hendrake
"Apology accepted, Captain Piett."                             aka Jim Niemira
                       Darth Vader                           urmane@urmane.org