Re: Window Manager configuration utilities

[Nathan Clemons <nathan windsofstorm net>]

On Wed, 7 Jul 1999, Cristian Tibirna wrote:

> On Wed, 7 Jul 1999, Matthias Clasen wrote:
> 
> > > I disagree. For those window managers which implement virtual desktops as
>                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > different screens :0.0, :0.1, etc. their config tool could have a method
>     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > > to set backgrounds based on the workspace. I do not believe GNOME has this
> > > functionality, and it should be left to the WM config tool to handle. And
> > > considering that background images are set by a majority of themes, I
> > > think this is the easiest way.
> > 
> > A wm cannot implement virtual desktops as different screens. Screens are
> > an X protocol concept: either the server provieds multiple screens or not.
> > The wm may manage them all or only one of them. But virtual desktops are
> > usually tied to one screen; otherwise it wouldn't be possible to move 
> > windows between desktops (since you can't move windows between screens).
> 
> OK. This is exactly what X manuals say. And we all know this. But then
> what did you mean with the expression I underlined?

Matthias didn't make that technical mistake. I did.

> 
> The new Xinerama extension tha XF86-4 will support lets you move windows
> from a physical screen to another.
> 
> > Regardless of this, it should be possible to set different backgrounds on
> > different workspaces, and it should also be possible to implement that
> > in the gnome background capplet, since it can simply monitor the 
> > _NET_DESKTOP property.
> 
> Setting background colors/pixmaps should have nothing to do with the specs
> we try to build.
> 
> Cristian
> 

Like some people on this list are coming to realize, and no offense, like
I tried to emphasize at the beginning, we are of different opinions as to
what this spec should cover and what it should define. In my opinion, this
is something that is affected, if both the WM and the UI/DE are trying to
both set the background! This leads to horrible confusion for new users
since I have seen that you can set the UI/DE background to one thing,
change the WM background to another, and the UI/DE doesnt even realize
it's changed, which will then confuse the everliving hell out of a new
user.

How to set the background may not be in the realm of this spec, but _who
should set the background_ is. I'll try to edge in a few moments and try
to brainstorm with Brad and Michael, because writing a specification when
we haven't decided what the spec will and will not cover, is in my opinion
an exercise in futility, and was the reason I sent several mails to try
to nail this down.

--Nathan.

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Nathan P. Clemons                       "Peace favor your code."
nathan@windsofstorm.net                 ICQ: 2810688
IN CONSTRUCTION:                        http://gnome.windsofstorm.net
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