[This is not a direct response to the original message, but rather some
ideas that I have been working with for some days. I finally got to
write them down.]
Take a look at
http://www.hp.com:80/xwindow/viaFrames/windowmgrs/cde.html, especially
"The CDE Action and Data Typing Service". It is possible to use this
scheme not only to specify icons for applications, but also for data
objects. It is also possible to bind together data types and the actions
to perform on them, sort of a advanced .mailcap definition database.
I'm not saying that the current method of specifying application bound
icons in fvwm should be trashed, but rather that if fvwm moves into the
domain of desktop manager, it would _need_ an action and data typing
service. I'm not shure, but I believe that someone from the fvwm95 team
are working on a ms explorer lookalike. Would it be rude to ask for a
status brief? :)
I see many possible extensions to fvwm. What I would have done myself
(if time had permitted me to do so) would be to implement a menybar
system that an application could ask for and specify the structure of
through a corba/fresco like protocol. Much of the code is already there
in fvwm. It would also be possible to support NeXT and Mac like menus
since the application would only specify the menu structure, not what it
look like and where should be displayed (on top of the application
window would be the default).
In the same manner could an application ask for that stylish diagonal
resize handle at the lower right that Win95 has, if people like that
kind of decoration.
--
Torgeir Veimo,
email: torgeir_at_cmr.no, pager: 96 78 31 62, phone: +47 55 57 43 42
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Received on Wed Sep 04 1996 - 05:12:13 BST