Window Management - Revision history

Miasma at 02:17, 24 December 2010

2010-12-24T02:17:57Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 02:17, 24 December 2010
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	===Modular Design===		===Modular Design===
	I have seen very little in the way of modular design that gives the user fine grained control of their work environment. The environment is either minimalistic and limited or fully featured and bloated, only suited for high horsepower hardware. I'd personally like to see something that is more in line with the *nix philosophy of small tools that can pipe data from and to other small tools. For this to work properly there needs to be adherence to standards that may not even be well understood and/or adequately defined. For example session management (Basically what specific applications and data should be opened at login or for specific tasks) should be easily separated from window management to the point that if the user doesn't need session management it shouldn't be forced on the user and everything else not specifically requiring session management should still work just fine. If the user later discovers a need for session management it should be possible to easily install a pluggable session manager.		I have seen very little in the way of modular design that gives the user fine grained control of their work environment. The environment is either minimalistic and limited or fully featured and bloated, only suited for high horsepower hardware. I'd personally like to see something that is more in line with the *nix philosophy of small tools that can pipe data from and to other small tools. For this to work properly there needs to be adherence to standards that may not even be well understood and/or adequately defined. For example session management (Basically what specific applications and data should be opened at login or for specific tasks) should be easily separated from window management to the point that if the user doesn't need session management it shouldn't be forced on the user and everything else not specifically requiring session management should still work just fine. If the user later discovers a need for session management it should be possible to easily install a pluggable session manager.
		+
		+	===Alternative Metaphors===
		+	I'd like to be able to find other ways of dealing with traditional windows. There already exist some interesting mechanisms for manipulating windows that are little known to most users. As an example, while I was using Fluxbox on a daily basis I noticed that to resize a window using the left click drag method there are only two handles that can be grabbed and moved with a left click and they are on the lower left and right corners of the window's border. It became a bother especially when enlarging a window who's bottom edge was near the bottom edge of the screen. Using the left click you need to first reposition the window by dragging the titlebar to the top of the screen to get the lower edge of the window enough screen real estate to drag it down, and if it still needed more adjustment you may need to repeat that maneuver until you get it right. I did that for a few days until I discovered an alternative way to resize a window with an <ALT> right click and drag from anywhere within the window proper. After returning to using KDE I discovered using the <ALT> key in KDE worked the same; you just hold down the <ALT> key and click within the window and the corner closest to the cursor position will move to resize the window. If I hadn't been pushed to find another method of resizing a window I may never have discovered the <ALT> <right click> <drag> method. I'm sure there are a whole bunch of similar undocumented and under-documented methods of interaction with windows.
		+
		+	Screen real estate is very valuable even on a system with multiple monitors. I completely understand the allure of tiling window managers, but for me, at least, the deal breaker is the loss of goodies normally kept visible in a panel. I'd like to develop new ways of taking advantage of screen real estate while still having quick access to ancillary data and tasks. One thing I really loved about Fluxbox that could potentially help out a lot is the use of shortcut keys. KDE4 does some cool things with 3D compositing, as does Compiz, that are beneficial to work flow that go beyond mere eye candy. I don't know how difficult it would be to include compositing but perhaps we could find easier alternatives to accomplish similar ends. I particularly like the ability to zoom in and out. That feature has sort of been possible for a long time with virtual desktops being larger than the screen but zooming in and out was too slow and distracting.
		+
		+	The new KDE4 desktop had/has some promising new features that were designed to address the real estate problem but unfortunately they were confusing, buggy and some were even broken to the point of being unusable. With 4.5 they fixed a lot of the problems by removing a lot of the features. At least that brought back stability and reminded us of the lesson of Icarus, don't over extend your capabilities by trying to do too much too fast.

Miasma at 12:44, 27 November 2010

2010-11-27T12:44:55Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:44, 27 November 2010
Line 305:		Line 305:
	In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.		In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.

-	===Design Considerations===	+	==Design Considerations==

-	====Target Audience====	+	===Target Audience===
	One of the first things we need to discuss when it comes to creating our own window manager or desktop environment is to create a list of design goals, what are the specific and general itches that we want to scratch. One thing I've noticed myself in trying out and testing the various ways to manage a work environment is that most designs are either geared toward solving a limited domain of problems, often creating a development platform by developers and for other developers. These tend to be minimalistic window managers with an eye towards either C or C++ development. Another approach is to try to be all things to all people in one huge, bloated, monolithic structure. These are less focused on system level development and more towards a wider range of user application development but also tend to favor developers.		One of the first things we need to discuss when it comes to creating our own window manager or desktop environment is to create a list of design goals, what are the specific and general itches that we want to scratch. One thing I've noticed myself in trying out and testing the various ways to manage a work environment is that most designs are either geared toward solving a limited domain of problems, often creating a development platform by developers and for other developers. These tend to be minimalistic window managers with an eye towards either C or C++ development. Another approach is to try to be all things to all people in one huge, bloated, monolithic structure. These are less focused on system level development and more towards a wider range of user application development but also tend to favor developers.

-	====Modular Design====	+	===Modular Design===
	I have seen very little in the way of modular design that gives the user fine grained control of their work environment. The environment is either minimalistic and limited or fully featured and bloated, only suited for high horsepower hardware. I'd personally like to see something that is more in line with the *nix philosophy of small tools that can pipe data from and to other small tools. For this to work properly there needs to be adherence to standards that may not even be well understood and/or adequately defined. For example session management (Basically what specific applications and data should be opened at login or for specific tasks) should be easily separated from window management to the point that if the user doesn't need session management it shouldn't be forced on the user and everything else not specifically requiring session management should still work just fine. If the user later discovers a need for session management it should be possible to easily install a pluggable session manager.		I have seen very little in the way of modular design that gives the user fine grained control of their work environment. The environment is either minimalistic and limited or fully featured and bloated, only suited for high horsepower hardware. I'd personally like to see something that is more in line with the *nix philosophy of small tools that can pipe data from and to other small tools. For this to work properly there needs to be adherence to standards that may not even be well understood and/or adequately defined. For example session management (Basically what specific applications and data should be opened at login or for specific tasks) should be easily separated from window management to the point that if the user doesn't need session management it shouldn't be forced on the user and everything else not specifically requiring session management should still work just fine. If the user later discovers a need for session management it should be possible to easily install a pluggable session manager.

Miasma at 12:43, 27 November 2010

2010-11-27T12:43:12Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:43, 27 November 2010
Line 304:		Line 304:

	In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.		In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.
		+
		+	===Design Considerations===
		+
		+	====Target Audience====
		+	One of the first things we need to discuss when it comes to creating our own window manager or desktop environment is to create a list of design goals, what are the specific and general itches that we want to scratch. One thing I've noticed myself in trying out and testing the various ways to manage a work environment is that most designs are either geared toward solving a limited domain of problems, often creating a development platform by developers and for other developers. These tend to be minimalistic window managers with an eye towards either C or C++ development. Another approach is to try to be all things to all people in one huge, bloated, monolithic structure. These are less focused on system level development and more towards a wider range of user application development but also tend to favor developers.
		+
		+	====Modular Design====
		+	I have seen very little in the way of modular design that gives the user fine grained control of their work environment. The environment is either minimalistic and limited or fully featured and bloated, only suited for high horsepower hardware. I'd personally like to see something that is more in line with the *nix philosophy of small tools that can pipe data from and to other small tools. For this to work properly there needs to be adherence to standards that may not even be well understood and/or adequately defined. For example session management (Basically what specific applications and data should be opened at login or for specific tasks) should be easily separated from window management to the point that if the user doesn't need session management it shouldn't be forced on the user and everything else not specifically requiring session management should still work just fine. If the user later discovers a need for session management it should be possible to easily install a pluggable session manager.

Miasma at 04:34, 16 November 2010

2010-11-16T04:34:43Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 04:34, 16 November 2010
Line 288:		Line 288:
	GUI toolkits such as GTK+, Qt, FLTK, wxWindows and other less known toolkits are also very important in how desktop applications are displayed. They provide fonts, icons and widgets. When using a minimalistic window manager without an associated desktop environment the user may need to make adjustments for applications using different GUI toolkits. This can be essential to functionality and not just style when using screen resolutions that are significantly smaller or greater than common standards.		GUI toolkits such as GTK+, Qt, FLTK, wxWindows and other less known toolkits are also very important in how desktop applications are displayed. They provide fonts, icons and widgets. When using a minimalistic window manager without an associated desktop environment the user may need to make adjustments for applications using different GUI toolkits. This can be essential to functionality and not just style when using screen resolutions that are significantly smaller or greater than common standards.

-	~~====Settings & Configuration====~~
	At least for now I'm going to stick to covering mostly just GTK+ and Qt4 since at this point in time they are the most popular and there are some fairly good tools to help configure them. GTK+ is the toolkit used with Gnome and Xfce while Qt4 is used with KDE4. For a long time it was not always easy to use applications designed for one environment on another. However, these days Gnome, XFCE and KDE desktop environments include tools for dealing with applications designed for another.		At least for now I'm going to stick to covering mostly just GTK+ and Qt4 since at this point in time they are the most popular and there are some fairly good tools to help configure them. GTK+ is the toolkit used with Gnome and Xfce while Qt4 is used with KDE4. For a long time it was not always easy to use applications designed for one environment on another. However, these days Gnome, XFCE and KDE desktop environments include tools for dealing with applications designed for another.

		+	====Settings====
	Most desktop application will let the user to configure fonts and other settings for the main window and any dialogs. If there are problems with settings it usually involves the widgets and fonts of the application's window and decorations. The most important setting when dealing with GUI applications from different toolkits would be setting font size for the window itself and its menus. A good test to see if this is a potential problem is in whether or not you needed to adjust the font size of your original desktop settings. If the standard default size for one desktop was OK chances are good that it will also be OK using applications developed with other toolkits.		Most desktop application will let the user to configure fonts and other settings for the main window and any dialogs. If there are problems with settings it usually involves the widgets and fonts of the application's window and decorations. The most important setting when dealing with GUI applications from different toolkits would be setting font size for the window itself and its menus. A good test to see if this is a potential problem is in whether or not you needed to adjust the font size of your original desktop settings. If the standard default size for one desktop was OK chances are good that it will also be OK using applications developed with other toolkits.

	For now I'm going to follow up on GTK+ and Qt since they are the most popular. These are GUI tools that can be used for configuring font size and widget settings:		For now I'm going to follow up on GTK+ and Qt since they are the most popular. These are GUI tools that can be used for configuring font size and widget settings:

-	~~=====qtconfig===== - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.~~

-	=====GTK+ 2.0 theme manager===== - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.	+	===== qtconfig =====
		+	With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.
		+
		+
		+	===== GTK+ 2.0 theme manager =====
		+	Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.

	In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.		In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.

Miasma at 04:07, 16 November 2010

2010-11-16T04:07:35Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 04:07, 16 November 2010
Line 295:		Line 295:
	For now I'm going to follow up on GTK+ and Qt since they are the most popular. These are GUI tools that can be used for configuring font size and widget settings:		For now I'm going to follow up on GTK+ and Qt since they are the most popular. These are GUI tools that can be used for configuring font size and widget settings:

-	qtconfig - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.	+	=====qtconfig===== - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.

-	GTK+ 2.0 theme manager - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.	+	=====GTK+ 2.0 theme manager===== - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.

	In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.		In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.

Miasma at 04:06, 16 November 2010

2010-11-16T04:06:31Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 04:06, 16 November 2010
Line 286:		Line 286:

	===Toolkits===		===Toolkits===
-	GUI toolkits such as GTK+, Qt, FLTK, ~~etc.~~ are also very important in how desktop applications are displayed. They provide fonts, icons and widgets. When using a minimalistic window manager without an associated desktop environment the user may need to make adjustments for applications using different toolkits. This can be essential to functionality and not just style when using screen resolutions that are significantly smaller or greater than common standards.	+	GUI toolkits such as GTK+, Qt, FLTK, wxWindows and other less known toolkits are also very important in how desktop applications are displayed. They provide fonts, icons and widgets. When using a minimalistic window manager without an associated desktop environment the user may need to make adjustments for applications using different GUI toolkits. This can be essential to functionality and not just style when using screen resolutions that are significantly smaller or greater than common standards.

	====Settings & Configuration====		====Settings & Configuration====
-	~~Perhaps~~ the most ~~important~~ settings when dealing with GUI applications from different toolkits would be setting font size. ~~Here~~ are ~~some~~ tools that can be used for configuring font size ~~along with other~~ settings:	+	At least for now I'm going to stick to covering mostly just GTK+ and Qt4 since at this point in time they are the most popular and there are some fairly good tools to help configure them. GTK+ is the toolkit used with Gnome and Xfce while Qt4 is used with KDE4. For a long time it was not always easy to use applications designed for one environment on another. However, these days Gnome, XFCE and KDE desktop environments include tools for dealing with applications designed for another.
		+
		+	Most desktop application will let the user to configure fonts and other settings for the main window and any dialogs. If there are problems with settings it usually involves the widgets and fonts of the application's window and decorations. The most important setting when dealing with GUI applications from different toolkits would be setting font size for the window itself and its menus. A good test to see if this is a potential problem is in whether or not you needed to adjust the font size of your original desktop settings. If the standard default size for one desktop was OK chances are good that it will also be OK using applications developed with other toolkits.
		+
		+	For now I'm going to follow up on GTK+ and Qt since they are the most popular. These are GUI tools that can be used for configuring font size and widget settings:

	qtconfig - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.		qtconfig - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.

	GTK+ 2.0 theme manager - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.		GTK+ 2.0 theme manager - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.
		+
		+	In addition to configuring the GUI toolkit's settings it is also possible to make some adjustments with some of the X server's config files and tools.

Miasma at 02:55, 16 November 2010

2010-11-16T02:55:54Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 02:55, 16 November 2010
Line 284:		Line 284:

	*[http://openpeta.com/index.php/2010/08/an-awesome-alternate-python-docky-to-awn/ python-docky] is an enhanced application launcher, manager and dock for the Gnome desktop.		*[http://openpeta.com/index.php/2010/08/an-awesome-alternate-python-docky-to-awn/ python-docky] is an enhanced application launcher, manager and dock for the Gnome desktop.
		+
		+	===Toolkits===
		+	GUI toolkits such as GTK+, Qt, FLTK, etc. are also very important in how desktop applications are displayed. They provide fonts, icons and widgets. When using a minimalistic window manager without an associated desktop environment the user may need to make adjustments for applications using different toolkits. This can be essential to functionality and not just style when using screen resolutions that are significantly smaller or greater than common standards.
		+
		+	====Settings & Configuration====
		+	Perhaps the most important settings when dealing with GUI applications from different toolkits would be setting font size. Here are some tools that can be used for configuring font size along with other settings:
		+
		+	qtconfig - With this configuration tool you can set how any application using the Qt toolkit is displayed. Currently available with the qt3-qtconfig and qt4-qtconfig packages.
		+
		+	GTK+ 2.0 theme manager - Is available for setting GTK+ 2.X fonts and themes in the gtk-chtheme package.

Miasma: /* Resources - Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:= */

2010-09-21T12:05:27Z

Resources - Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:=

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:05, 21 September 2010
Line 31:		Line 31:
	It should have easy and intuitive defaults that can be customized by the user without the need to reprogram any source code.		It should have easy and intuitive defaults that can be customized by the user without the need to reprogram any source code.

-	==Resources - Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:===	+	==Resources - Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments==

Miasma: /* Resources Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:= */

2010-09-21T12:04:50Z

Resources Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:=

←Older revision		Revision as of 12:04, 21 September 2010
Line 31:		Line 31:
	It should have easy and intuitive defaults that can be customized by the user without the need to reprogram any source code.		It should have easy and intuitive defaults that can be customized by the user without the need to reprogram any source code.

-	==Resources Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:===	+	==Resources - Existing Window Managers and Desktop Environments:===

Miasma at 00:28, 21 September 2010

2010-09-21T00:28:05Z

←Older revision		Revision as of 00:28, 21 September 2010
Line 4:		Line 4:

	<disclaimer>		<disclaimer>
-	Be warned, I am not by any means an expert in window managers, programming or much of anything for that matter, I am merely a dabbler. I'm doing my best to put together a good resource page ~~but for~~ me it is a learn as I go kind of thing and I can't promise anything. If you decide to start playing around with window managers on a system with data that is important to you, don't do it, and if you must make sure any data you ever hope to see again is safely backed up first. ~~Most~~ of these window manager projects are to be considered experimental and could easily take your arm off at the elbow or worse if you ~~even~~ think ~~of installing them based on~~ any information you have found here.	+	Be warned, I am not by any means an expert in window managers, programming or much of anything for that matter, I am merely a dabbler. I'm doing my best to put together a good resource page. For me it is a learn as I go kind of thing and I can't promise anything. While I seem to be doing most of the early work on this page it is, after all, a group project and hosted on a public site that anyone can edit. If you decide to start playing around with window managers on a system with data that is important to you, don't do it, and if you must make sure any data you ever hope to see again is safely backed up first. Many, if not most, of these window manager projects are to be considered experimental and could easily take your arm off at the elbow or worse. If you think about using any information you have found here, don't! Do your own research first.
	</ disclaimer>		</ disclaimer>

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-	====ICCCM Compliant Window Managers====	+	=====ICCCM Compliant Window Managers=====
	This list is also from Wikipedia on their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Client_Communication_Conventions_Manual Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual] article and may not be up to date or completely accurate.		This list is also from Wikipedia on their [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-Client_Communication_Conventions_Manual Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual] article and may not be up to date or completely accurate.

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	*xmonad		*xmonad

-	====EWMH Compliant Window Managers====	+	=====EWMH Compliant Window Managers=====
	This list is from Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Window_Manager_Hints Extended Window Manager Hints] article and may not be up to date or completely accurate.		This list is from Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Window_Manager_Hints Extended Window Manager Hints] article and may not be up to date or completely accurate.

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	===Python Stuff===		===Python Stuff===
		+
		+	By some standards Python would not be the first language of choice for writing a window manager but there is a good chance that our project will either be done in Python or done in a combination of lower level language like C and Python. The main reason is that many of our members are already at least somewhat proficient in Python. With no desire to get into a religious debate over the relative merits and failings of anyone's personal bias Python makes more sense to us for a group project. This section includes some additional information on existing Python libraries and some projects in pure Python or wrapped in Python.

	*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLWM PLWM] is the Pointless Window Manager as well as a Python package containing classes capable of use in rolling your own Pythonic window manager. Absolutely worth a look. It is currently still available as a Debian package. The [http://plwm.sourceforge.net/ PLWM] homepage at Sourceforge, has nothing much to see but there is a download for the source code and some long in the tooth documentation.		*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLWM PLWM] is the Pointless Window Manager as well as a Python package containing classes capable of use in rolling your own Pythonic window manager. Absolutely worth a look. It is currently still available as a Debian package. The [http://plwm.sourceforge.net/ PLWM] homepage at Sourceforge, has nothing much to see but there is a download for the source code and some long in the tooth documentation.