Using OpenGL as a window manager

[Sean Estabrooks]

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 17:59:12 +0100
"Martijn Sipkema" <msipkema at sipkema-digital.com> wrote:

> > How will a 3D window manager control windows if it can't 
> > transform them?
> 
> Who needs a 3D window manager? I don't.

You don't have to use it but i look forward to it. :o)

> > If much of this work isn't done on the server you lose some nice
> > capabilities that currently exist.   I routinely use a single Xserver
> > to service applications running on 3 different servers.    You need
> > some way for a Window manager running on just one of those machines
> > to control (read transform) windows opened from other machines.
> 
> Then you'd use a single UI server (running on a single X server) in that
> case.

I don't know what you're talking about here.   Are you inventing something
to replace the current architecture?    Is there some good reason not to
emulate the current way things work in the 2D world?   Right now it's the
Window manager that controls the windows.    Applications don't get free
range.   The application might be clipped or hidden by the  manager
without knowing about it.    Why not do it the same way when we get to 3D?

All kinds of things are possible with transformations.   A future window
manager will be able to transform running applications by automatically
scaling them down by 3x or 4x and leave them running in view while the
focused application is full size.   etc etc..   And because it's happening
server side it can be accelerated and handle connections from multiple 
remote machines.   The possibilities are endless and amount to more than
just eye candy.

Cheers,
Sean