Re: WM Compliance

[Max <redline pdq net>]

Adam Jacob wrote:
> 
>         Hi guys...
> 
>         I've been working with the WindowMaker guys in order to
> see if we can get Wmaker to be Gnome compliant.  As the
> discussion has gone on, we seem to have hit a brick wall
> in regards to what exactly it is that makes a WM gnome
> compliant.
> 
>         Some say it's simply having the MWM hints enabled,
> (Which, btw, thanks to Oliver Graf, WindowMaker now has.)
> others say it's also implementing the IceWM hints.
> 
>         So... is there a cannon definition of what Gnome requires
> of a WM?
> 
>         If there is not, I would like to see if we cannot get
> anyone intersted in formulating one together, and actually
> build a cannonical document for doing such.
> 

I thought there was plenty of information out there on this topic. A
GNOME wm should implement the MWM hints. Raster wrote up some stuff
(with code from E) that is available on the GNOME web site. There is a
proposal that Marko Macek made re wm hints; there is a link to that
proposal from the GNOME web site under "proposals." I am currently
implementing some convenience functions in libgnomeui that allow app
developers to easily work with these hints, they should be finished in a
day or two. Not to say that the proposal is complete. There are many
ambiguities and gaps, some of which seem to be intentionally left open
for the WMaker people to help fill in. I suppose if the color-reactive
(or *-reactive) stuff ever gets written, a wm should have some support
for that as well. I have also messaged the Amiwm people, hoping to see
what they may have to contribute to GNOME<->wm interaction. 

I would be very interested in writing a canonical document describing
"GNOME awareness" for a wm. Is there anything the WMaker people have
that would be good for GNOME to take advantage of? I am in particular
thinking of the window menu stuff. :) I guess I am off to comb through
the GNOME list archives to see what people have wanted in a GNOME wm
over the last 9 months.

M.Watson <redline@pdq.net>