Re: Spec Purpose and Definition

[Matthias Ettrich <ettrich troll no>]

On Wed, 23 Jun 1999, Michael ROGERS wrote:
> >The main reason I am recommending we define before we move on is regarding
> >issues like the pager. Do we provide for a generic UI-implemented pager,
> >or do we abandon those?
> 
> It seems to me that pager interaction makes up a large part of the
> complexity of the spec, for a small benefit. Many window managers already

This was my thinking at first as well. However, a pager (or a taskbar ) doesn't
require much more than what any application requires anyway. Since all the
hints/states of a window are already advertised, all that is missing is a way
to access all managed windows. Functionality to change the state of windows
outside the wm is a basic requirement anyway (for example maximizing or 
activating a window ). So once the managed windows are made available to
modules, we get the pager for free.

> offer pagers. Those that don't, omit them for a reason. I like your 
> suggestion of defining a single method of swallowing/docking apps, though.

That may open a can of worms, let's see what we can come up with. A simple
plugin protocol to exchange applets would really be nice to have. 


Matthias