[xmonad] Re: [PATCH] XMonad: set the default root cursor to XC_left_ptr

[Andres Salomon]

On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:59:00 +0200
Matthias Kilian
<kili at outback.escape.de> wrote:

> On Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 04:06:53PM -0400, Andres Salomon wrote:
> > > Well, because you can set it elsewhere, and some people may want
> > > to use another cursor. The natural way to do so is to configure
> > > your X startup scripts, because it's WM independent.
> > 
> > I'm not sure what you mean here.  Are people really setting cursors
> > via xsetroot, and feel strongly about it?  Is setting a string in
> > your .xinitrc really what people consider "the natural way" to
> > configure pointers (versus a GUI app like
> > gnome-appearance-properties)?
> 
> If i need a GUI to configure my GUI, something is seriously broken.
> 

No one said anything about *need*.  But lots of people *want* a GUI to
configure their GUI.  Anyways, you didn't
actually answer my question; do you *really* feel strongly about having
your cursor a certain way, or is your primary objection "it's not the
place of the window manager to set the cursor"?


> Heck, do people using xmonad (or ratpoison, or scrotwm, or whatever
> tiling and keyboard-driven window manager) really care about the
> mouse cursor at all? Or do they fear editing some stupid ~/.xinitrc
> or ~/.xsession?
> 

I really don't understand the resistance to setting the pointer.  Is it
absolutely critical to xmonad's functionality?  Certainly not.
However, what's the point of having people unnecessarily grovel
around for documentation about their specific combination of DE +
DM + distro + window manager, and edit the appropriate config file?  Is
the goal for xmonad to only be used by people who are systems
programmers, systems administrators, and/or haskell hackers?  Do you
think that even for that class of user, having to poke around
config files unnecessarily (where there's a sane default) is something
that they enjoy?


> > > Why add code to xmonad when it's not necessary?
> > 
> > Because it provides a default.
> 
> X11 provides a default (the ugly cross shaped cursor). Overriding
> this in  your ~/.xsession and/or ~/.xinitrc is a way to get a fancier
> cursor regardless of whatever window manager you're using.
> 

Hehe, "fancier"?  Those post-1980's cursors sure are sexy!


> If your favor display manager sets another default cursor, blame
> your display manager.
> 
> > It's not a large amount of
> > code at all, and it's pretty clear what it's doing.  Why make the
> > unnecessary call out to xsetroot at X start time when it can easily
> > be handled within XMonad via 4 lines of code?
> 
> It's adding code to xmonad that doesn't belong there.
> 
> > > Personally, I'm sometimes playing with and comparing different WMs
> > > (stuff like xmonad, scrotwm, ratpoison), and I'm *used* to get the
> > > cursor I like without tweaking the WM configuration first.
> > 
> > That's fine, but I could also point out window managers that
> > override the cursor (ion3 and metacity, for example).  You're not
> > guaranteed that the window manager won't override the default
> > cursor.
> 
> Then ion3 and metacity are doing it wrong.
> 

Sigh.  Care to point me at the spec that states that the window
manager MUST NOT set the default cursor?