Re: Outline of Caliban, a Pane Based Window Manager

On 2004-05-27 22:34:00 +0800 Thorsten Wilms <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Thu, May 27, 2004 at 10:32:25PM +1000, Karl O'Keeffe wrote:
> 
>> I've updated the wiki with a (very) brief outline of my ideas for a 
>> Y 
>> Window Manager.
>> http://y-win-wiki.jciteassist.org/y-win-wiki/PaneBasedWindowManager
>> 
>> The main (and probably most controversial) point is that windows are 
>> all 
>> displayed full screen by default, and that there will be no 
>> minimise/maximise/move/resize commands needed.
> 
> Didn't you say it should all work with existing apps?
> Can't work with spatial Nautilus or the GIMP. And even one of the few 
> apps I 
> ever use full screen, OpenOffice, still has palettes (floating 
> windows).
> 
> 
>> To enable comparisons between documents, a system whereby the screen 
>> can be 
>> split into two or four panes is used.
> 
> Overlapping windows is not only about comparing docs, but also 
> drag'n'drop 
> and fast switching between windows (you know, Fitt's law).
> 
> 
> But you should take a look at Blender (3d app).
> It has something like it's own windowing system,
> whereby what is called a Window in Blender is rather like
> Panes in other environments.
> You can split windows verticaly and horizontaly and resize every
> window by dragging the borders. Every window (usualy) has a
> header (even though these can be at the bottom) wich can hold
> buttons and menus. But the first control in every header is
> for selecting the windowtype (3d view, file-browser, schematic
> view, ...).
> Setups of these windows can be saved as Screens. Shortcuts
> allow to switch through Screens, or to maximize the window
> the mouse is over to full-screen (or minimize afterwards).
> All this allows to adapt Blender to one's own workflow
> or current task at hand.
> 
> Screenshots:
> http://wrstud.urz.uni-wuppertal.de/~ka0394/forum/04-04-10_blender_1.png
> http://wrstud.urz.uni-wuppertal.de/~ka0394/forum/04-04-10_blender_2.png
> 
> I think it might be worth trying to combine overplapping/floating 
> windows, 
> tiling and tabing on WM level.
> 
> 
> ---
> Thorsten Wilms
> 
> 

Existing apps use x windows calls right? That will be taken care of by 
the legacy interface. i think gimp can work with non-overlapping 
windows.