Re: [wmii] columns

I don't think the way columns work right now should be changed
much. It is neither a good idea to restrict the numbers of columns
(welcome back to larswm then... and btw I sometimes use 3 columns
on 1280x1024) nor to add an additional tagging layer by applying
tags to columns. The first one would just decrease flexibility and
I just can't see the advantage (maybe we want 'select next column'
to wrap around instead). The latter one is an implementation of
nesting and there already has been some discussion on the problems
arising with it (additional navigation layer, additional shortcuts,
etc.) No, I think columns and views are fine as they are, however
the screen and the applications are not as dynamic as wmii is and
that's the problem. It is only because of this, that we ask for
predefining/fixing column widths, client positions, layouts...
But this is making things more static, which I believe is not wanted.

Splitting columns instead of adding columns is not just a matter
of taste, but it depends on the situation which method is better.
Splitting preserves the other columns widths, yes. But in any
case where I don't have this requirement adding a column and
rearranging widths appears better. Unfortunately the window manager
has little knowledge of the needs of the applications, so it's
hard to find a good general solution. I'm fine with the current
method very often.

Screen edges, however, are probably somehow known to the window
manager and should be respected. I.e. other than by explicit user
request a column should not span across a screen edge. (Besides
some presentation purposes I would not expect anybody to want
a single window spread across multiple screens.)
Is it possible to have a single instance of a wm manage multiple
X-screens/displays? This could help solving the issue.
And regarding those screen edges - wasn't there a geometry file
for the workspaces in the past? The views currently don't have
this, but it would allow the user to shrink the area occupied by
managed clients and place floating clients of fixed size within
the free space so they don't cover the managed ones. This would
require a default geometry and one per cached view.

Regards,
Stefan
Received on Mon May 29 2006 - 09:44:22 UTC