[ILUG] Linux PDA question

[kevin lyda]

On Mon, Feb 05, 2001 at 02:13:51PM +0000, Liam Bedford wrote:
> a) window managers on a small screen don't make sense.. the app should get
> the whole screen, so there's no point in the WM being there taking up
> resources.

are window managers required?  must they have title bars?  etc, etc...

> b) you telling me you'd like your programs to look like they're running on a
> palmtop all the time? I think it's much better to use the data formats that
> are already standards (thanks to various programmers/companies) and use the
> PIM programs that are optimized for running on a big screen..
> (I would much prefer not seeing my contacts program be 800K just because
> they included a desktop look and feel, and functionality I couldn't use 95%
> of the time)

layout doesn't cost 800k, and besides there are ways for it to grab some
of that stuff off the desktop.  every app has functionality you don't
normally use - even gnu true has --help and --version flags.

and again, a desktop centered program is still possible, but this way
you still have the option.

> c) Why use X? What's wrong with fbdev? I don't see any need to run my
> palmtop programs on my desktop, and it's taking up yet more room/resources
> that are quite limited..

again, several months ago jim getty had x down to an 800k footprint.
besides you're talking about linux on a pda - that would include a
vfs layer that seems overkill on a small machine too.  heck, a net block
device seems like superfluous fluff untill mad men decide to do insane
things with it...

> > why does x care about screen size?  current x *clients* might have an
> > issue at that size, but not x itself.
> The X environment includes a window manager of some sort... have a look at
> most of the conversations, and see that a window manager is superflous..

a) it doesn't need to.
b) a wm doesn't need to include titlebars, etc.  even twm can be
   configured without them, limiting it to window placement, and so on.
   and someone could even write a very basic wm that just does the bare
   minimum of icccm (or whatever it is these days) - a utility that might
   be of use for kiosks as well.

kevin

-- 
kevin at suberic.net        i...  i have a dream.  and that dream is:
fork()'ed on 37058400    use DIY::Tiler;
meatspace place: work    my($t) = new DIY::Tiler;
                         $t->tile(-room => "en-suite", -style => "stone");