Re: gnome-wm

[Sven Luther <luther@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr>]

On Wed, Oct 30, 2002 at 10:50:55AM -0500, Colin Walters wrote:
> On Wed, 2002-10-30 at 09:29, Christian Marillat wrote:
> 
> > I disagree with that. Users already don't know how to setup the default
> > x-window manager, and now you want to introduce an new
> > update-alternative...
> 
> Well, changing the alternatives is really only for advanced users.  We
> should advise users to use the WINDOW_MANAGER environment variable. 

Well, the main problem we have now is that upon installation of gnome2
over gnome1, most users find themselves using twm, while there where
used to having sawfish before.

All you are trying to do is using some workaround/configuration/whatever
for this. Would it not be better, following the gnome2 philosophy and
all, to fix the problem instead ?

Basically, it would be nice if one of the gnome packages asked a debconf
question about this, and set the x-window-manager accordyingly.

You could ask something of the kind :

Gnome 2 works best with either sawfish or metacity.

  you have currently both installed, please choose one.

  or

  you have neither installed, twm (or whatever) will be used as default
  wm.

If there is a ewmh-window-manager virtual package, you can even depend
on it and so get ride of the second question.

This would solve all the problem first time gnome2 installer are seing.
Altough gnome2 with twm is a fun thing to see, if you don't know how to
change window manager it is a rather lame gnome2 experience you will
have.

At least a debconf note saying you can use the alternative-update trick
to change windows manager would be nice.

> > I think the best choice is to increase the value to 30 or 40 if a
> > window manager complies with the Window Manager Specification Project
> > and keep only one alternative for window manager.
> 
> Ok, I had thought that the maximum priority was 50, but it seems sawfish
> is already 70, so I guess that works.
> 
> All I really care about is that a user installing the "x-window-system"
> and "desktop" tasks doesn't have GNOME start up with twm.  
> 
> It looks like a priority increase of 40 would work.  Do you want to put
> together a patch?

If that solves the problem, then fine.

Friendly,

Sven Luther