Re: [wmii] layout discussion

On 3/4/06, Anselm R. Garbe <garbeam_AT_wmii.de> wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> the major directions I noticed, which have been discussed are:
>
> - nobody really wants an additional column bar
> - empty columns is the most questionable point
> - most agreed that an exclusive flag makes the concept lesser
> predictable and more complex
It is perfectly predictable, and if you don't like it, you don't have
to use it at all. Yes, this is somewhat similar to the case of frame
locking, except that in this case it's useful, but framelocking, while
braindamaged, never really bothered me because I never used it.
This is the same except that IMHO it's a very useful feature because
it allows larswm-style dynamic layouts, and unlike frame locking,
doesn't introduce an extra dimension to window layouts, it just
implicitly creates an existing construct(col) in cases where it makes
things much simpler.

> So I think, that following concept might be a good compromise:
>
> We don't allow empty columns, which implies that an explicit
> column bar is not necessary. Instead we destroy empty columns
> immediately. New columns can only be created if a client is
> selected
This is exactly what I described in my previous email about "poping"
windows from the current col into a new one.

> (if only 1 client exists, the old column will be
> destroyed, otherwise an additional column will coexist where the
> selected client is send to).
If only one client exists in this col, just ignore the operation
completely, it is already "in a new col"

> To get something like the larswm zooming feature there'll be a
> swapto command, which swaps the selected client with a specific
> different column. The sendto command might have the impact, that
> a column gets empty and is destroyed.
Now this is much more messy and complex than exclusive flag, because
it affects how all windows are moved around, and I can't even
understand how the semantics would work(how do you pick the client to
swap? This is much more specialized and awkward than exclusive flag,
and it's forced on everyone no matter if they want it or not.

> This is pretty much like the column layout we had in wmii snaps
> already in Dec/Jan.
>
> I think this is dynamic enough and you can easily aim the larswm
> way.
>
> A good point about this concept is, that new clients get always
> attached to the selected column and that new columns are always
> created right-most (this is predictability).
And very inconvenient too.

uriel
Received on Sat Mar 04 2006 - 14:05:22 UTC