Re: tlug: X resolution / color depth

[Scott Stone <sstone@example.com>]

On Thu, 19 Mar 1998, Scott H. Perlman wrote:

> Jonathan Byrne--3Web wrote:
> > Moving a little farther afield (and maybe people are working on this?),
> > installing a software package should also add it to the menu of your window
> > manager, assuming it has one, like what you get under you-know-what.  Right
> > now, the only way to find out what packages you have is to start Glint and
> > check.   And even then, most of them are neither on a menu anywhere nor on
> > your path, so there's a lot of work involved in trying them out to see it
> > they're things you want to keep, or things you want to reclaim the disk
> > space from.  I know that's a big order because of how many window managers
> > there are and because some are more menu-based than others.  But these are
> > the kinds of polish that Linux will need to make it in the mass market.  You
> > don't think I'm the only person who will always say "But <this other OS>
> > does it automatically," right? :-)
> 
> This is obvoiusly not a function of X.  The problem with this concept
> is that there are far far too many available options.  Any program that
> decides to modify my .ctwmrc without asking won't make it for long.
> The necessary intelligence to parse all the various window management
> files and itelligently add itself is nigh unto impossible.  You simply
> cannot completely automate this in a customizeable Unix environment.

I've got it pretty darn close with the turbodesk utilities (only for
AfterStep 1.0, though).  Try it :)

> 
> That being said, what IS doable is creating a twm compatible
> (its the simplest) window manager section, store it in a default
> location. (/usr/X11/app-defaults perhaps?) and modify installs to add
> themselves to that.  You can have it #include to your window manager if
> it uses cpp, or the appropriate m4 equivalent.  And it gives the list
> a location for people who want things customized.
> 

RH is doing some of this, and I plan to continue it.  You have generic
app spec files that your program takes, looks at the current WM, and then
writes an appropriate config section for that wm.

I think that some of this functionality at least will appear in TurboLinux
1.9beta/2.0 release.

> Any install program that breaks because I do not use fvwm, has some
> serious problems.  (I'm stuck in CDE at work right now and it is really 
> bad, but my preference is still ctwm)
> 

well, the TL version would support Afterstep and maybe fvwm95 (or other
fvwm variants if they follow the same format).  I'm planning to make it
though so that I can write a simple configspec for a new wm and then have
it work with that.

> I'm snipping the rest of the post before I go off on an advocacy war.
> 
> I think a lot of the polish you want is doable, but to be effective it
> will take some careful work.  We don't wantto polish Linux OUT of being a 
> powerful and configurable server to make it palatable to the masses.
> 
> -Scott
> 
> -- 
> The first thing to be judged must be the standards of Judgement!
>   Scott H. perlman@example.com
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--------------------------------------------------
Scott M. Stone <sstone@example.com, sstone@example.com>
               <sstone@example.com>
Linux Developer/Systems Administrator for Pacific HiTech, Inc. 
http://www.pht.com		http://armadillo.pht.co.jp
http://www.pht.co.jp	        http://www.turbolinux.com


---------------------------------------------------------------
Next TLUG Meeting: 11 April Sat, Tokyo Station Yaesu gate 12:30
Featuring Tague Griffith of Netscape i18n talking on source code
---------------------------------------------------------------
a word from the sponsor:
TWICS - Japan's First Public-Access Internet System
www.twics.com  info@example.com  Tel:03-3351-5977  Fax:03-3353-6096