Re: Spec Purpose and Definition

[Matthias Clasen <clasen pong mathematik uni-freiburg de>]

> 
> Set a hint, yes. Maximise its own window, no. That breaks the "chain of
> command" (user->window manager->application) and allows an application to
> define its own window layout policy.

Yes.

> sentence. The proposed Gnome user notification framework might be the "right
> way" to do this, or perhaps we could define a "notification" hint that can
> be set on a window. The WM could handle it by giving the window's image in
> the pager a red border, or beeping, or switching desktops, or whatever. The
> important thing is that the window manager decides how to handle it, not the
> application.

The ICCCM version 2 already has such a hint. Check out "UrgencyHint" (or
try it out in the CVS version of fvwm).

> I'm not really worried about the three lines of code.  :)  I'm worried about 
> the idea of an application deciding to override the window manager and choose 
> its own stacking position, desktop, etc, and changing the active window or 
> active desktop whenever it likes. This is just going to annoy the user.

I strongly support this. We should define a set of hints for clients to
give to the wm and a set of informations which wms may offer to clients.
commands to control the wm from apps should be avoided.

The interesting point here is that one actually wants such commands for the
pager, since it is better to have the pager send commands to the wm than
duplicate all wm functionality in the pager. One might read this as an
argument against a generic pager - or at least as an argument against
including the necessary command protocol in a wm *hints* spec.  



-- 
Matthias Clasen, 
Tel. 0761/203-5606
Email: clasen@mathematik.uni-freiburg.de
Mathematisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg