Re: Run a GTK application without desktop environment

["Jasper St. Pierre" <jstpierre mecheye net>]

Except for all the functionality that is provided by the window manager:

http://www.x.org/releases/current/doc/xorg-docs/icccm/icccm.html#Client_to_Window_Manager_Communication
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/wm-spec/wm-spec-latest.html

I was the lead developer of the mutter window manager for a good 3-4
years, and I also worked on GTK+ a lot. Toolkits might appear to work
without a WM in place, but there will be lots of subtle behavior
differences.

The X11 protocol indeed has a design decision of "mechanism, not
policy", which means that since the policy *isn't* in the X server, it
must be somewhere else. That somewhere else is, in a lot of cases, the
window manager.

On Thu, Mar 17, 2016 at 10:07 PM, Göran Hasse <gorhas raditex nu> wrote:
> Hello!
>
> No not at all!
>
> The window manager is just a "helper". Infact the W-window
> system was written as a "policyfree" environment. It was a design idea *not to have*
> the application dependent on the window - mangager". So this is *not* a strange
> thing at all. *NO*! functionality is dependent on the window mangager!
>
> Some programing toolkit are a little bit crippeled to handle itself in
> respect with resize, fonts and sutch. Gtk have some issues without
> window mangager - but not mutch. If you write a X-window application without
> a toolkit you have compleet control. (This is *verry* akward though).
>
> So if you want to write a kiosk there is *no need* to have a window manger.
>
> /gh
>
> Den 2016-03-18 kl. 06:00, skrev Jasper St. Pierre:
> > I highly recommend against this. A window manager should be around to
> > manage windows, since a lot of functionality to applications is
> > provided by the WM. Having it missing could cause strange bugs.
> >
> > Please just use a lightweight window manager like Matchbox or metacity.
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 17, 2016 at 9:33 PM, Göran Hasse <gorhas raditex nu> wrote:
> > > This is quite simple.
> > >
> > > You have to send in the geometry to the GTK application so that is self
> > > can decide its geometry.
> > >
> > > You don't need any window manager.
> > >
> > > I run a lot of FreeBSD computers this way.
> > >
> > > In rc.local you run something like
> > >
> > > -------------------------------
> > > #!/usr/local/bin/bash
> > >
> > > /usr/sbin/ntpdate -s 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org
> > >
> > > DISPLAY=:0.0
> > > export DISPLAY
> > >
> > > /usr/local/bin/X -ac &
> > >
> > > # Let the x-server have time to start
> > > sleep 20
> > >
> > > # Connect from any IP
> > > /usr/local/bin/xhost + &
> > >
> > > # Remove the cursor from the screen, turn off screensaver
> > > /usr/local/bin/unclutter -root -idle 1 &
> > > /usr/local/bin/xset -dpms &
> > > /usr/local/bin/xset s off &
> > >
> > > # set background
> > > # https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X11_color_names
> > > /usr/local/bin/xsetroot -solid Grey &
> > >
> > > # show local time
> > > TZ=CEST
> > > export TZ
> > >
> > > # Startscript for infotable at LEV
> > > DISPLAY=192.168.37.88:0.0 ./draw-text -x 0 -y 0 -X 896 -Y 307 -g logo -L "" -f 100 &
> > > ...
> > >
> > > ----------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Note that the gtk-widget have to "resize" itself. So you must program it to
> > > read its own "geometry". x , y , X  Y (and some other stuff).
> > >
> > > /gh
> > >
> > > Den 2016-03-18 kl. 01:30, skrev Anatol Pomozov:
> > > > Hi
> > > >
> > > > I am trying to implement a simple Kiosk-like web application. The
> > > > application will run fullscreen all the time and show web pages. I my
> > > > case it will be project's build status. I want to use a simple
> > > > computer like a RaspberryPi. And I want to avoid starting heavy
> > > > environments like KDE or Gnome.
> > > >
> > > > Is there any good example/tutorial on this topic?
> > > >
> > > > In fact I already have a simple GTK application that uses WebKit
> > > > engine. I can run it both in Gnome and without it by using xinit. I
> > > > have a few questions about it:
> > > >
> > > > - gtk_window_fullscreen() works fine with Gnome but with xinit it does
> > > > not expand the window. Does it mean that fullscreen is actually a DE
> > > > feature? What is the best way to make fullscreen app in XWindow? Right
> > > > now I use gdk_screen_get_width/height and then set default size.
> > > >
> > > > - If I run webkit in XWindows it shows pages with horrible fonts. How
> > > > to make the browser fonts similar to what I see in my Gnome desktop?
> > > > Where to start reading about font handling in the modern Linux
> > > > graphical stack?
> > > >
> > > > - It looks like Kodi player at RaspberryPi does not not use xinit at
> > > > all. It looks like RaspberryPi has a direct framebuffer feature. Is it
> > > > possible to do it with my webkit-centric application? I can't find any
> > > > details on this topic.
> > > >
> > > > Did anybody make something similar? I would love to hear the
> > > > experience in making DE-less applications.
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > gtk-list mailing list
> > > > gtk-list gnome org
> > > > https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gtk-list
> > >
> > > --
> > > Göran Hasse
> > > Raditex Control AB
> > > http://www.rscada.se
> > > OrgNr: 556611-8773
> > > email: gorhas raditex nu
> > > tel: 019-450105
> > > mob: 070-5530148
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > gtk-list mailing list
> > > gtk-list gnome org
> > > https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gtk-list
>
> --
> Göran Hasse
> Raditex Control AB
> http://www.rscada.se
> OrgNr: 556611-8773
> email: gorhas raditex nu
> tel: 019-450105
> mob: 070-5530148



-- 
  Jasper