Window managers

[Paul Warren <pdw ferret lmh ox ac uk>]

There is one thing that really bugs me about gnome - the fact that it
doesn't have its own window manager, by which I mean, there is no Window
Manager with the gnome/gtk look and feel.

I use Window Maker, and I have tried E.  If I were a new user looking at
gnome, I would want to know why I had two completely different
look & feels on my desktop.  (eg. right click, then middle click in E -
two completely different menu styles).

New users are not interested in the difference between a Window Manager
and Gnome, and are not going to be grateful for the "choice".  I am not
suggesting that Gnome should tie itself to a single window manager, but
that there should be a "gwm" to fill a similar role as kwm does to kde.

So are there any plans to write such a window manager? I have been
considering doing it myself, but I don't think my gtk knowledge is up to
it.  gtkwm on www.gnome.org seems to be abandoned vapourware AFAICT.

On a related point, for a project that claims "No religion - pick any
window manager", gnome appears to be becoming increasingly tied to
Enlightenment.  I see that the RPMs now have E as a requirement.  I see
this as a bad thing.  E is not a requirement of Gnome.  I shouldn't have
to rpm --nodeps a standard Gnome installation should I?  E has some very
strong opposition, certainly where I am.  I don't personally know anyone
who likes it or finds in a usable wm. Clearly lots of people do, but it
indicates that it is very important not to push people into using a single
WM.

Any comments?

Paul