[MPlayer-dev-eng] [PATCH] x11 vo drivers override user settings for window placement

[Mark Tiefenbruck]

> > I see the problem here. You've confused mplayer with a window manager.
>
> No we don't. MPlayer doesn't manage its window. It just tells the
> WM in an unmistakable way what it preferes at _mapping_time_.

No, you're telling us what MPlayer wants _after_ mapping time. That's
the problem here. Once you map the window, placement is our business.
For -geometry, use the USPosition setting in the size hint. That's
what it's for. But when -geometry isn't given, use PPosition. That's
what it's for. That's how applications and window managers play
together to distinguish when a geometry was given by the user and when
it came from the client. I don't care if the center is your default
position; we respect that if the user hasn't specified another one. I
care if the center is your _only_ position.

> The code you are questioning here has been written at an very
> early stage of the MPlayer development and had got its share
> of testing and review. And so far, i don't remember anyone
> complain about the fact that the MPlayer window comes up
> centered (actualy there were a lot of complaints when it
> didn't happen). So, you being the first one who dislikes
> this behavior in 5 or 6 years, i guess the code cannot be
> that wrong.

Frankly, you're wrong about this. In the past, Kermit told us to
remember MPlayer's position, and we did. MPlayer didn't move its
window back to the middle of the screen. This ONLY happens in
MPlayer's svn version. And don't get the idea that I'm following your
project closely -- this has already annoyed your users enough to
report it to me. You don't seem to understand why this is a bad thing,
so let me give you some examples.

We have a placement policy where new windows appear under the mouse.
This is useful for people who have the window focus follow the mouse.
How should that be solved with -geometry?

We have a placement policy where new windows are placed to minimize
overlap with other windows. How should that be solved with -geometry?

We have placement policies where new windows are placed in columns or
rows. How should that be solved with -geometry?

Frankly, -geometry is from the stone ages of X11. Requiring people to
use it in order to have any control over window placement whatsoever
is going in the wrong direction. Do you really think that there should
be no possibility in X11 for placing windows intelligently?

Your arguments about media players being special and deserving the
center of the screen is a fallacy. In fact, it was contradicted by the
ICCCM in one of the quotes that I gave you. That is not a choice for
the individual client to make. Let the window manager do its job.

> So, again, to solve your problem use -geometry.
> If that is not enough for you and you really want
> that MPlayer does not set its position and size
> at mapping time, make a patch that disables
> this behaviour by a command line switch, but leave
> it enabled by default. Anything else is not acceptable.

You've spent too much time in Windows. Or maybe not enough. People
shouldn't have to search for obscure configuration settings to get
their software to stop annoying the hell out of them.

  Mark