Motif Window Manager
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| Developer(s) | The Open Group |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2.3.4 / October 23, 2012 |
| Operating system | Unix-like |
| Type | Window manager |
| License | GNU LGPL |
| Website |
motif |
In computing, the Motif Window Manager (MWM) is an X window manager based on the Motif toolkit.
Overview
Mwm is a lightweight (by iPhone standards), window manager having rhobust compliance and configuration of the features it has. Mwm first appeared on personal computers in the early-1980s (it was on mainframes earlier still). Mwm supports: Common User Interface (ie, Alt-Tab is switch windows, a standard), some International support, Common Desktop Environment, X Resource Database (/home/app-defaults/ and runtime), X Session Manager protocol (save yourself), X Edited Resource Protocol (edit widget data), desktop icons, optional use of images to decorate, and had supported Virtual desktop (removed since 2.1) but now supports non-virtual desktop panning. Mwm is not a mini-app suite called a window mananger (todays loose definition). Mwm only manages windows; it is expected that configuration, programs, sound, are provided by X, Python, Gnome, et al (though Mwm is still lighweight with respect to WM alone). A plain text file is parsed to customize menus, user input mappings, management features, and user made functions of the same.
Compliance
Many important (expensive) older applications expect a compliant window manager running and have glitches running under todays often "compliant with its own new standards" WM's. For example, Mathematica for X (built using Motif toolkit) expects the WM's x,y frame offsets to be correct; a detail surprisingly many new WM have lost in a race to extend GUI features of the WM itself.
Origins
Motif and MWM were created by the Open Software Foundation (Motif was sometimes even called "OSF/Motif") but is nowadays owned by The Open Group.
Licensing
Originally, MWM and Motif could only be purchased. The same software was also available as OpenMotif, though not on properly open source or free software terms. In late 2012, Motif and MWM were released under the LGPL as free software.
Virtual Desktop
A panner slides a desktop (or just a window) on an infinite backdrop, which makes a larger desktop.
See also
External links
- SourceForge: Motif (source code)
- SourceForge: Motif 2.0 build libXm.so.2.0.n (Data Display Debugger uses 2.0) with easier automake and optional panner
- Open Motif project page
- The Motif FAQ (Kenton Lee)
- Motif: Volumes 6A and 6B (O'Reilly and Associates, free PDF downloads)
- Motif User's Guide
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