Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!smsc.sony.com!dce From: dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: virtual roots Message-ID: <1990Dec12.005016.4802@smsc.sony.com> Date: 12 Dec 90 00:50:16 GMT References: Sender: dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) Reply-To: dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) Distribution: comp Organization: Sony Microsystems, San Jose, CA Lines: 38 In article , jsparkes@bwdls49.bnr.ca (Jeff Sparkes) writes: |> I think the time has come to standardize this, and get it put into Xlib |> so everything works again. We need a standard property name (how about |> VIRTUAL_ROOT?) that the window manager sets as appropriate. The |> RootWindow macro can be replaced with a function similar to the one that |> Andreas Stolcke posted. I suspect that a more efficient way could be done |> with property change events and a little addition to XNextEvent. |> |> I realize that this has probably been discussed in the ICCCM mailing lists; |> will somebody point out how naive I am? |> |> This would be a good thing for patch 19..... Besides the low probability of there being a patch 19, this isn't a simple change. I talked to rws about this a couple of months back, and he didn't want to make changes of this nature until there was an ICCCM decision on virtual root windows and rooms. I gave some thought to changing Xlib so that all requests for the root window id would do the virtual root chasing, but I came up with one problem: How do you deal with cases where the root window changes? How do applications that are using the old root window id react? One big question is whether or not the virtual root model is the right way to go. Specifically, are the things you use the virtual root for adequately or better taken care of by a rooms implementation builtin to a window manager? (In my case, having the ability to iconify/deiconify all windows in a given icon manager could do most of the work I use tvtwm for.) -- ...David Elliott ...dce@smsc.sony.com | ...!{uunet,mips}!sonyusa!dce ...(408)944-4073 ..."It's like his pants were confused..." - Lynda Barry