Re: Open to discussion...

[Derek Simkowiak <dereks kd-dev com>]

> Doesn't the Gnome help browser grok html and man pages ? That should cover
> the documentation of most wms, I guess. Excluding of cause the enlightenment
> idea of documentation.

	That's a good point... perhaps we should simply have a spec as to
where the documentation should be located, so that the Gnome help browser
can find it...?

> This is what the fvwm FAQ has to say on the issue:

	Are the fvwm definitions of DESK, PAGE, and SCREEN consistent in
all other WM's?  If not, we should create some kind of translation table
:).

> > desktop, and having all of the other modules disabled under Gnome?  Does
> 
> No, you are expected to add the necessary 2 lines to the config file 
> manually.

	As a long-time Linux user, I'm completely comfortable with that.

	But for a desktop environment that I'd want my mother to use, I
consider it unacceptable. It's not intuitive: what config file?  Where is
it located?  What two lines, and what should they say?  It needs to be a
clearly labelled button in an easy-to-find configuration tool.

> > it have a Gtk+ based configuration utility, and does it read the Gnome
> 
> gedit .fvwm2rc :-)

	Heh :).  Somehow, I don't think that would make things any easier
on my mother :).

> > config files to determine things like what applications should appear on
> > the program-lauching menu?
> 
> I would say that it would be best to not duplicate that program-launching
> functionality in the wm at all. 

	A middle-click in Enlightenment (as shipped with Redhat 6)
provides a dupe of the Gnome program "start" button, albeit not with a 
Gtk+ menu.  Just mentioning an example for consideration... (btw, what is
that "start" button called in Gnome?)

> > 	It'll be nice when I can change my background in one, intuitive
> > place, and have it stay changed after I restart X.
> 
> The desktop-window idea should give you that for free, without any need
> for wm cooperation.

	Yes.  I'd like to quote from a previous email that Michael Rogers
send to the gnome-devel-list:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Derek wrote:]
>	I would like to suggest that part of Gnome Window Manager
>compliance is abandoning Background settings and screen savers to the
>Gnome Control Center.  So when you click on "Run Configuration Tool for
>Enlightenment" the options for setting the Background disappear (if you
>are running under Gnome).  Comments?

[Michael replied:]
I think it makes a lot of sense for Gnome to control the desktop settings, 
and I suspect it would simplify gmc's job of handling the desktop if it 
could use a large canvas widget with a pixmap background to draw the 
desktop, and handle DnD, icons, selection boxes etc in the same way as any 
other gmc window, passing on any unwanted mouse clicks on the background to 
the "real" root window so that the window manager could receive them. (This 
would also remove the need for window managers to proxy unwanted root window 
clicks, although that is only a ten-line hack.)

I doubt this is going to happen, because it would require too much re-coding 
for a small reward in terms if tidiness. In my opinion this sort of thing 
should have been in the Gnome window manager spec from the start, but it was 
written by Rasterman, and you can forgive him for leaving E's best features 
intact.:)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I think using a large canvas widget for the background has some
interesting implications... like, you could rotate your monitor 90 degrees
and flip a switch in the Gnome Control Center and have a tall monitor
instead of a wide monitor :).


--Derek