Re: Optional background window ?

[Guillermo S. Romero / Familia Romero]

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (2001-01-06 at 1156.22 -0800):
> I have showed the Gimp to driven photoshop users, and they all
complained at one thing, the fact that gimp does not have a "root"
window, like photoshop in windows have.

I guess they say the same about all X apps then.

> They also wanted the menues at the top of this root window, as they
are used to.

Have they ever clicked the arrow button on left top area? Or realized
that click is faster than move & click? Tear off menus anyone?

> I myself have learned to use the gimp the way it is, but I also
found it to have a treshold to climb over, due to the difference from
other paint programs according to above.
> How about having a preferences option for this with two choises
"Native Gimp way" and "root window way".

You can fake it know: open a Xnest server and launch Gimp inside, one
big window with all the Gimp windows inside (you will need another
window manager, btw). You can also use viewports or desktops (true
root window == your root window), put Gimp in one and you have a big
window with Gimp inside. ;]

> This cant be very difficult to implement, from the little I know of
gtk, or what do you say ?

It is if you want to put windows inside that window using Gtk+. You
will need to re implement things that the window manager already does,
starting with window handling routines and ending with themes and
keybidings ("oooh, cool, now to change close window I have to
configure here and there").

I know, there is a Gtk+ for FB and it seems to have some of that, but
if you have X loaded I do not see a reason to do not use it. Some
window managers allow operations over groups, so you move the parent
and all follow like if you move a big window with the rest inside.

X has nice ways to handle windows (thanks to window managers, I would
say, cos X is the protocol, and the wm is who really does the dirty
work), my question is if people really try them or just say "I want
Foo OS features, whatever options I have, better, worse, or just
different is Bar OS, I want Foo". I would teach / show Gimp... plus X
/ window managers so they got the full picture.

Of course, I guess patches are welcomed. :]

GSR