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

[Don Stewart]

spencerjanssen:
> On Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 11:01:39PM -0400, Andres Salomon wrote:
> > I've noticed that the default root cursor isn't changed from X's default.  Is
> > there a reason for this, other than just no one noticing because their display
> > manager overrides it?  I've noticed this with nodm.  The patch below changes
> > xmonad to override the default cursor.
> 
> I'm going to quote part of the FAQ and the homepage:
> 
>     1 When I start xmonad, nothing happens.
> 
>     Don't panic, this is expected behavior. XMonad is a minimal window manager,
>     meaning it doesn't set a background, start a status bar, display a splash
>     screen or play a soothing sound effect when it starts up. Once xmonad has
>     started, the only thing it does is listen for your first command.
> 
> --
> 
>     xmonad is minimal.
>     out of the box, no window decorations, no status bar, no icon dock. just
>     clean lines and efficiency. 
> 
> In the default configuration, xmonad should do the minimum to be a useful
> window manager and have the essence of xmonad: WM keybindings, keybindings to
> launch other programs and the defining element of tiling layout algorithms.
> This principle is a mixture of the Unix philosophy, minimalism, and an effort
> to cater to power users that generally want tools that stay out of their way.
> 
> I think this patch very slightly infringes on each part of that principle.
> Since it should be fairly easy for our target audience to set their pointer by
> other means, it seems that the benefit of staying minimal outweighs the
> benefits of the patch.
> 
> While the vision for xmonad's core is to be minimal, contrib is meant to be
> chock full of any feature we can get our hands on.  A module for contrib to
> set the mouse pointer from startupHook would be very appreciated!
> 

I think this is an excellent summary of the xmonad philosophy. It has
perhaps never been stated as clearly, but throughout the design and
implementation of the last 3 years, these principles were in mind.

Setting the mouse cursor, and all that entails, should be a contrib
module.

-- Don

P.S. bluetile should be a contrib module.