jmarek@td2cad.intel.com (John Marek) (11/28/89)
A few weeks ago, I submitted a series of questions on DECwindows
customizations and a number of people have asked for a summary. Here's what I
have learned.
1. Eliminate the Digital logo from the login screen ... preferably be able
to replace the logo, but eliminating it would serve (I know how to
eliminate it under ULTRIX but can find no corresponding method under VMS).
Under VMS, the way to eliminate the logo is:
$ DEFINE/SYSTEM$ DEFINE/SYS/EXEC DECW$LOGIN_BACKGROUND NL:
One person responded that in VMS V5.3, DECwindows V2.0, there will be the
capability to specify and image file name to replace the logo.
Under ULTRIX, the logo may be turned off in the system .Xdefaults file.
However, this results in a 15-30 second performance penalty during login.
2. Change the default geometry of the Icon Box. Also the ability to change
the default geometry of the Bookreader index window.
The file DECW$Xdefaults.Dat may be created in your default directory. The
resource wm*geometry may be customized to whatever dimensions you want.
I like my Icon Box in the upper right corner and so I use:
wm*geometry: =250x250+750+1
(It seems that it may also be placed into DECW$WINMGR.DAT but I haven't
tried this).
The same may be done under ULTRIX in your default directory's .Xdefaults
file.
For the bookreader in particular, I have learned no information. Since it
is not available under ULTRIX, there seems to be no documentation.
3. Completely change the "pause" screen. What I'd really like is the mouse
locked to a small password window with the other windows remaining
visible.
I've received no suggestions on this. A different way to do what I want
to might be if there is a positive answer to the question:
"Under X11, is there such a color as 'transparent'?"
4. A custom background image.
It seems there is no direct way to do this under VMS. Opening a window
to an ULTRIX system and using an ULTRIX window manager instead of the
VMS DECwindows manager does work but is cumbersome.
I did get some references to a DECUS version of XSETROOT for VMS but have
not obtained that and cannot test it.
5. A custom screensaver.
No information on this one either.
>I've searched through the documentation I can find as well as the DECW$*.DAT
>files and can find no clues for any of these customizations.
I did get a reference to the ULTRIX documentation set for the manual:
"Worksystem User, Volume 1", part number 'AA-KV43B-TE'
The reference pages contain information on the various resources
for DECwindows applications.
There does not seem to be any similar VMS documentation. (I think it's
because DEC thinks us VMS users are too dumb to read anything more complicated
than "Press this button").
John.
--
John Marek jmarek@td2cad.intel.com
Any opinions in the above text are my own but feel welcome to use them.