Create a *real* top level window

[Carsten Haitzler (The Rasterman)]

On Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:08:10 +0300 Timo Juhani Lindfors <timo.lindfors at iki.fi>
said:

> Carsten Haitzler (The Rasterman) <raster at rasterman.com> writes:
> > in the end what you want requires either the wm+cm implements it - or it
> > supports it specifically. it's all about mechanism not policy in x11 and in
> > x11 the wm+cm (wm in older days alone) define such policies.
> 
> I don't know what Burton's original motivation for this was but I
> would definitely have use for a way to show forced "always on"
> messages on the screen. They should be shown in a manner that does not
> let normal users hide them.
> 
> Currently I'm just forcibly switching to another virtual console, then
> disabling virtual console switching and rechecking that I am still on
> the safe virtual console. This unfortunately is not stable on many
> graphics drivers...
> 
> I also read the source of the Xorg selinux extension but was not quite
> sure if it was up to the task. I got the impresion that a customized
> window manager would be necessary anyway.

that pretty much would be correct. some wm's allow easy customisation
(enlightenment is one for example - compiz i know is another), but
plugins/modules that can be loaded at runtime (no need to patch the original
binary as they support such runtime patching with the above). such
modules/plugins at least in enlightenment (0.17 devel) can let you do just
about anything as they run inside the wm and have all privileges the wm enjoys.
for both e and compiz they are both also the compositors (e's compositor itself
is a module - actually it has a few compositing modules, but the default
included one is all internal). so this also can decide what is and isnt shown
and how. e17's comp lets you get access to the compositor canvas and create
objects in it on high layers that will always be stacked on top - for example,
no need for a window. you literally add virtual visual objects. you can steal
all input while u are at it with grabs (in e17's internals that's the grabinput
subsystem).

anyway - point here is - wm+cm can do this. this is their domain to  determine
such policy. some wm's allow extension easily via such modules/plugins. others
require you to actually patch them. some may already do what you want.

-- 
------------- Codito, ergo sum - "I code, therefore I am" --------------
The Rasterman (Carsten Haitzler)    raster at rasterman.com