ellis@AUDI.SIEMENS.COM (Ellis Cohen) (06/24/88)
Bcc: wmtalk@expo.lcs.mit.edu ellis jcc berman rum tpm@demon
A beta release of
The Siemens RTL Tiled Window Manager
is now available in the /contrib/rtl directory
on expo.lcs.mit.edu. It includes C source code
(with a simple Makefile) as well as as manuals
and tutorials in Scribe, Tex, Postscript, and
plaintext formats.
Due to limited resources, we are unable to distribute
tapes. The size of the system precludes the use of
electronic mail for distribution.
Features of this distribution:
- This is a tiled window manager. Windows and
icons do not overlap (except for transient and
override-redirect windows). Arbitrary tiled layouts
are supported, not just columns.
- Automatic strategies are provided for window
placement and sizing. The degree of automation
is controlled by a variety of options.
- Windows are decorated with titlebars,borders and
gadgets. The size and presence of these decorations
can be individually controlled.
- Supports the X11R2 version of the conventions
for Client / Window Manager communications, except
for wm installation of colormaps.
- The user can save and restore window layouts.
That is, RTL is a session manager as well as a
window manager.
- Both click-to-type and real-estate-driven
focus models are available.
- The user can specify a separate icon area
and control icon layout within it.
- The wm will optionally write application-specific
information over specified regions of pixmap icons.
- The user can override the client's pixmap icon.
A variety of snazzy icons are provided for the
usual applications.
- Users can perform group-iconification -- display
a single icon for a group of top-level windows (for
clients that define window groups).
- Support is provided for both 3-button and 1-button
mice.
- Using preference files, users can organize
applications in a class hierarchy, for purposes of
inheriting option settings.
The /contrib/rtl directory contains a README file as
well as a number of files in compressed tar format.
The README file contains complete instructions
for uncompressing the files, and for installing the
system.
Please note again, that due to limited resources,
we cannot send out tapes of the system or distribute
it via electronic mail.
We are happy to receive comments and questions,
and will do our best to respond to them. Send
them to
rtl@cadillac.siemens.com
In addition, an 18 minute videotaped demonstration of the
system (previously shown as part of the video program at
both CHI+GI '87 in Toronto and Interact '87 in Stuttgart)
is available for loan by writing to the
Software Technology Department
Siemens RTL
105 College Rd East,
Princeton NJ, 08540.
This is the first tiled window manager developed that
supports arbitrary layouts, and is as much a research
vehicle as a production-quality window manager.
Consequently, there are an extremely large number of options
that may be set by the user (although naive users can
use the default option settings, or one of the preference
files distributed with the system). We are particularly
interested in users' experiences with various option settings.
Enjoy!