[mythtv] Why window manager is required for fullscreen mode?

Michael T. Dean mtdean at thirdcontact.com
Thu Sep 17 17:58:39 UTC 2009


On 09/17/2009 10:43 AM, Paul Bender wrote:
> Alexey Midenkov wrote:
>> I know that currently window manager solves focus issues. What other 
>> functionality is required from window manager? It would be better to 
>> get this functionality directly in MythTV if it's not too complex. 
>> Thanks!
> What problem are you trying to solve by getting rid of the window 
> manager?
>
> X applications expect a window manager. Even were myth to be able to 
> work without one, applications that it launches could still have 
> problems without one.
>
> Windows managers can be small. After all, we are talking about a 
> window manager not a desktop environment. I maintain MiniMyth, which 
> attempts to be a compact distribution. In it, I use ratpoison as the 
> window manager, which is 101548 bytes in size (even less in the 
> compressed image). There are many other things to go after besides the 
> window manager that would reduce the size by much more than that.

And even the amount of RAM used by a (properly chosen) window manager is 
small:
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Frequently_Asked_Questions#Do_I_really_need_a_window_manager_for_a_frontend_only_box.3F

Remember, also, that even if you're running MythTV at only 720x480 
pixels, the background used by your theme (ignoring all other graphical 
elements) takes more RAM than those window managers.

Choosing to use a desktop environment, though, will be much more 
heavyweight, so use a lightweight window manager.

Mike


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