T. Joseph CARTER wrote: > then explain why there are dozens > of window managers out there for X11? Surely they can't all be different > sets of icons and graphics--one window manager could do that.
There are four hundred thirty-seven different window managers out there for the exact same reason that every nerd in my generation wrote a text editor and every nerd in the most recent generation wrote an mp3 player. Writing one is just challenging enough to be interesting, and it's a great way to personalize your computing experience. I agree that Apple had a lot to do with the evolution of the WIMP interface (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer), especially pre-1986. The Apple Human Interface Guidelines from that era is still recommended reading for anyone writing desktop apps. Development of the desktop paradigm has not stopped since then, but it has definitely slowed. Post-Apple innovations include the wheel mouse, tabbed panes, and multiple desktops. (Yes, I remember Bill Atkins' Switcher from late 1984. It's not the same, IMO.) And, of course, ever-increasing eye candy as processors have gotten faster. Apple wasn't even the first to ship pseudo-3D effect controls -- both Windows and X11 got there first and Apple was forced to catch up because the Mac (System 6) was looking old-fashioned. -- Bob Miller K<bob> kbobsoft software consulting http://kbobsoft.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ EUGLUG mailing list [email protected] http://www.euglug.org/mailman/listinfo/euglug
