Re: resizing with gravity

[Sasha Vasko <sasha aftercode net>]

Bradley T Hughes wrote:
> On Friday 28 April 2006 18:17, Sasha Vasko wrote:
>
> > > > > An X app might open a grid of top-level windows, and rearrange them
> > > > > as more windows are added or removed.
> > > >
> > > > No application should ever rely on being able to do that.
> > >
> > > I completely disagree with this statement. Applications *should* be able
> > > to rely cooperating with the window manager when placing windows in a
> > > grid or some other arrangement on the screen. SDI style apps like the
> > > GIMP and those found on Mac OS X would be cumbersome to use (at best)
> > > without some kind of app<->wm cooperation about how and where multiple
> > > toplevel windows should be placed.
> >
> > And exactly why is that? Client maps a window of specific size, and WM
> > decides where to place it. WM implements policies that specific user
> > likes and thus it is better suited, then the client app of chosing the
> > best possible location for the window. Why does a client needs to
> > concern itself with its position even if it has several top level
> > windows??? Is it like : "Oh No! If My Windows ain't adjucent I Ain't
> > gonna draw no nothing!!!"
>
>
> You're taking this a bit to the extreme. Consider the possibilty that the WM 
> author is not omnipotent, and the user runs a new client that it has never 
> seen and knows nothing about. According to what you are saying, the 
> application programmer is stupid and should not have the possibility of 
> telling the window manager how its various top-level windows should be 
> spatially arranged.


Noone is saying that application programmer is stupid. What I'm saying 
is that clients should not do that as there is no practical way to get 
consistent results across the entire spectrum of window managers. So the 
end result of such activity tends to be that application works well 
under few window managers and breaks horribly under others.





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