Re: Collating proposed changes to 1.9e

[Jeff Raven <jraven psu edu>]

On Thu, Jun 29, 2000 at 02:27:13PM +0100, Julian Adams wrote:
> > 
> >  And we added a StaysOnTop (i.e. AlwaysOnTop, OmniPresent, ...)
> > 
> >  StaysOnTop      = 1 << 6
> > 
> 
> For the StaysOnTop issue - isn't the Urgency notes in the spec enough:
> <quote>
> Dialog boxes should indicate their urgency level (information or
> warning) using the urgency bit in the WM_HINTS.flags property, as
> defined in
> the ICCCM. 
> </quote>
> If not then lets add a _NET_WM_STATE_URGENT. (I'm not proposing to add
> this unless there is a reason.)
>

Unfortunately, that is not the intent of the WM_HINTS urgency flag
as defined by the ICCCM. According to the ICCCM, if the flag is set,
the window manager "must make some effort to draw the user's attention
to this window". This explicitly includes icons or windows on other
virtual desktops, though it is not specified how it should be done,
and the window manager is not obligated to map them or change the
stacking order.

The urgency flag implies a behavior that most clients will not want
if they simply want to stay on top -- it does not even require that
they be placed on top. (A window manager would be well within it's
rights to make an urgent window sticky, for instance, so that it
would always be seen.)

Jeff Raven