Re: [Usability]Re: A "cheat" to full window manager integration

[Christopher Warner <zanee kernelcode com>]

James Ramsey wrote:

> --- Christopher Warner <zanee kernelcode com> wrote:
>  
>
> > I don't understand why you would even make it clear
> > there is a 
> > difference. When I think theme, I think display or
> > appearance. So if the 
> > window manager theme (sawfish/metacity) and the gtk
> > theme can be wrapped 
> > together into one file format people can make 1
> > theme for gnome. Meaning 
> > that window borders etc etc all that would be
> > included; It simplifies a lot.
> >    
>
> I can think of two problems with wrapping a window
> manager theme and a GTK+ theme together:
>
> 1) It may be too difficult to do correctly with
> consistent results. The GNOME2 framework maintains at
> least some level of WM independence, which means the
> window manager is a moving target. There's no
> guarantee that Sawfish or Metacity will be available.
> It could be that someone comes up with say a WM for
> GNOME2 that looks like MWM all the time, or a new WM
> with themeability like Enlightenment. There's no
> guarantee that the window manager theme in the theme
> bundle would match the GNOME2 window manager being
> used.
>  
If the spec changes then the file format changes with it; The problem 
here is that gnome would have to standardize on a window manager; Yet 
still allow for different window managers. If you aren't using the 
default window manager then the use of the theme system would change. 
More code, more work but it'd allow for the use of different window 
managers but still keeping the idea of a universal theme format. Gnome 
should have it's own window manager anyway.

> 2) It may not be desirable. It is relatively easy to
> design a window manager theme that looks exciting and
> visually strange but doesn't interfere with one's
> work. It is far more difficult to design a GTK+ theme
> that is both striking and interesting, but not hard on
> the eyes. Users wishing to strike a balance may simply
> use a funky window border theme with a less exciting,
> but more manageable GTK+ theme. IMHO, this is a more
> compelling argument against a combined theme.
>
>  
You're talking about a poorly designed theme, I'm not graphically 
skilled so i wouldn't be making themes. Someone who makes a theme like 
the above probably shouldn't be making themes for mass consumption 
either. I'm sure theme designers will take care of themes if they can do 
ONE theme instead of 3 smaller different themes. You have 
nautilus/wm/gtk themes. If you wrap them all together in a bunch it'd be 
alot easier to deal with, it'd also allow for more unifying themes. What 
you say above doesn't provide any technical reasons as to why combining 
themes might be bad except for the fact that some theme designer made a 
poor choice.

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