128 lines
3.3 KiB
HTML
128 lines
3.3 KiB
HTML
<HEAD>
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<TITLE>wm2</TITLE>
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<!-- Changed by: , 21-Oct-1996 -->
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<!-- Changed by: Chris Cannam, 15-Jan-1997 -->
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<!-- Changed by: Larry Ayers, 21-Jan-1997 -->
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</HEAD>
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<BODY>
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<H1>
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wm2
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</H1>
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<HR>
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<H2>What is this amazing program?</H2>
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<P>
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wm2 is a window manager for X. Using wm2, you can:
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<UL>
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<LI> move windows around the screen;
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<LI> resize windows, both horizontally and vertically;
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<LI> hide windows;
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<LI> restore hidden windows; and
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<LI> delete windows.
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</UL>
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<P>
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wm2 also adds a stylish frame to each managed window.
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<P>
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wm2 does <em>not</em> provide:
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<UL>
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<LI> icons;
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<LI> configurability;
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<LI> a virtual desktop;
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<LI> extendible root menus;
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<LI> tool bars, button panels, docking areas, &c.
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</UL>
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wm2 is therefore the ideal window manager for today's elegant and
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ascetic programmer.
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<H2>
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Gasp. But how? And why?
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</H2>
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<P>The briefest contemplation of the modern window manager makes five
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points immediately obvious:
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<P> <EM> 1. Icons are crap, because no existing window manager manages
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them at all well. </EM>
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<P> <EM> 2. Configurability is crap, because it takes up so much time
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and can never truly compensate for using the wrong design. </EM>
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<P> <EM> 3. Long lists of `useful' applications on the root menu are
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crap, because however much care you take to add all the applications
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you think you'll use, you never actually get it right. </EM>
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<P> <EM> 4. The `click-to-focus' versus `focus-follows-pointer' war
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doesn't really matter, because most people can get used to
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either. </EM>
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<P> <EM> 5. Appearance is important. </EM>
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<P> Armed with these certainties, therefore, I embarked upon a
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spiritualistic quest to write the perfect window manager. It has a lot
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of faults -- more faults than features, probably -- but the
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faults are perfect too.
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<H2>What does it look like, and where can I get it?</H2>
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<P>
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It looks like <A HREF="./gx/ayers/wm2-pic.gif">this</A>, and you can get it
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<A HREF= "http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~cannam/wm2.html">here</A>.
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The distribution is a gzipped tar file of sources only. No binaries are
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available; you'll have to compile it yourself. (Binaries would be pretty
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useless anyway, as configuration options such as fonts need to be specified
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when compiling the program.) You'll need Unix, X11R4 or newer with the Shape
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extension, and a C++ compiler such as gcc. If you want to put soothing
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colored pixmaps into the window frame background, then you'll also need the
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Xpm library.
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<P>
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This distribution is the third release of wm2, which differs in some
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ways from the second release. (A new delayed-auto-raise focus policy
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is available; you can now exit from the window manager without having
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to kill it from the command-line; and you can choose to have colored
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textured backgrounds on the window frames, if you have any backgrounds
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you want to use.)
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<P>
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Note that wm2, even in this third release, does not support
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multi-headed displays. Also, ironically, wm2 does not support
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programs that run in shaped windows.
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<H2>
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Who concocted this evil monstrosity?
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</H2>
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<P> Chris Cannam, <A
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HREF="mailto:cannam@zands.demon.co.uk">cannam@zands.demon.co.uk</A>.
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wm2 is partly based on the very minimal window manager <A
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HREF="http://www.cs.su.oz.au/~dhog/9wm.html">9wm</A>, which I recommend to
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anyone who finds wm2 too gaudy.
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<P>
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<HR>
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<P>This page is best viewed with an HTML browser.
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<P>
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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