[xmonad] Issue 98 in xmonad: Conventional configuration strategies

[Xiao-Yong Jin]

codesite-noreply at google.com writes:

> Issue 98: Conventional configuration strategies
> http://code.google.com/p/xmonad/issues/detail?id=98
>
> Comment #1 by dons00:
> An example from Thomas.
>
>
> 1  -- Sample idea of what a non-xmonad/haskell config file might look like.
> 2
> 3  -- Set the modkey.
> 4  modkey = mod4
> 5
> 6  myConfig = {
> 7      borderWidth = 3
> 8      terminal = "urxvt +sb ...."
> 9      workspaces = "A", "B", "C", "D"
> 10     gaps = 15 0 0 0
> 11     modMask = modkey
> 12     ....
> 13 }
> 14
> 15 -- Layouts
> 16 layouts = tiled, mirror tiled, full (noBorders)
> 17
> 18 -- Keys
> 19 key a (shift) Kill
> 20 key right (control) rotview true
> 21
> 22 -- Mouse
> 23 mouse 1 focusNextWindow
> 24
> 25 -- Styles
> 26 Style (classname=Skype | resource=skype) StartWS A, Float
> 27 Style (classname=XClock) Float

I am not sure what you mean by the word `conventional'.  It
sounds awkward to give up a well formed syntax with a
yet-to-be-designed configuration scheme.  And at the mean
time, full screen mplayer still needs me to move it up and
left one pixel respectively to achieve _full screen_.

I think it largely depends on what you developers think
which way xmonad is going to follow.  Just look at those
nearly full powered window managers out there.  You have to
admit that they all have very complicated configuration file
syntax.  Let's take an example of FVWM, which is still my
favourite non-tiled window manager.  Its man page has 9048
lines to educate people how the configuration file could be
written, and that still not includes all other separate
modules.  Do you want users of xmonad to learn another
strange configuration syntax?  On the contrary, please look
at Sawfish.  I am glad some people finally continued the
work, which had been halted for a couple of years.  Think of
it, what kind of configuration syntax could you imagine to
achieve the flexibility, readability and usability given by
a Lisp-based scripting language it uses?  `Haskell' is my
answer.  What is yours?

How /conventional/ the configuration strategy is really
restricts how powerful and configurable xmonad is.  Please
think twice before you stepping upon the endless journey of
implementing a new language that could be used to configure
a powerful-WM-to-be.

My two cents,
Xiao-Yong
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