Why we keep coming back to Modplug Tracker

[Waxhead]

It can't work like than Waxhead, because of one simple reason. How should that poor OS determine what elements should each single user program have for best usability?

Maybe we are confusing skins and themes... As for theme it should be no problem for a OS to be able to control a the look for programs. All each program had to do was just return something to the OS like md5("this_is_my_unique_id"); and there you go!. Now the OS know each program!

Also you talk about elements. This is ADDING or REMOVING functionality to a program based on what skin is in use. A fundamental failure if you ask me. A skin should be a SKIN and not a extra limbs. For that you have advanced / simple GUI options. And a proper skin should adapt to that!
For themes it's another story. That's jut the look of buttons, titlebars, mousepointers etc etc... A theme has NOTHING to do with the layout / position of buttons relative to eachother.... meaning you should find the button at the same place no matter what theme / font you are using!

This should be the job of the program developer to set. Sometimes extra buttons, different alignments, etc. The OS should only be imho a hidden, background platform to serve flexibly our user work softwares. The less "bloated" functions are preinstalled to it, the best. =)

Is the alternative any better? you are bloating program code and many different programmers have to reinvent the wheel each time unless they are using a framework capable of supporting skins. Again the code depends on third party software and not to mention all the crap that happens on a improperly configured skinning system. Ever tried to change DPI / fontsize etc on a program that uses skins? sometimes you have to click outside buttons to click on them, sometimes fonts are writen larger than the button etc etc....
We are talking about STANDARIZING stuff. If the programmer of a tool follows the OS/Windowing system guidelines it's up to the OS to rearrange / rescale the window so everything fits.
I agree that the less bloaty functions are preinstalled the better...
However if those pesky skins are supposed to be used I would think the stuff is better done on a layer other than the programmer who write the tool.
(As you probably have understood I don't like programs that use skins )

Linux has experimented with installable GUI manager over the OS, which is already a better idea than our heavily integrated win GUI, but the best choice would be still to leave that to each individual program, because if anyone, their developers knows functionality needs the best. It can easily happen' that they have a working idea that neither the OS or any present GUI manager offers at the moment.

This is again talking about adding / removing functionality. As said the programmer should in such a case offer advanced/simple view.
Most users expect a skin to be exactly a skin e.g. a decoration of the program. Not a extension / removal of functionality!

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Plus, if you have a very heavily stuffed GUI manager installed, it will take your precious memory all the time because it needs to be ready for serving your softwares. On the other hand, if it's a part of the chosen specific program, it will totally unload itself right after you close the process, because it's not needed any more, and memory is fully free again.

This does not make sense. What you basically are saying is that it's better to have 10 skinned programs (who each handles skins in a individual way).  that WILL consume more memory AND CPU resources than a slightly bloated GUI manager who can skip skinning for programs that don't require it AND can do a standard procedure for ALL programs that require a skin?!
It's way more effective to have a central management system for such things - Also the GUI manager is free to do all the skin and rescaling stuff in the background without requiring a context switch before updating the bitmap on screen thus saving resources.
Plus the usage of skins and bitmaps for backgrounds etc etc DOES consume more memory than a "clean os gui only program".
If you have 10 skinned programs each program technically have to go through (possibly) several context switches to update the skins on their GUI. Maybe they also have to query the OS about X, Y size, font size etc.

- - -  M O D E R A T O R S  - - -
Someone please split this topic before it's to late!!!!!!!  

[Louigi Verona]

well, can a tracker deliver tb-303 kinda filtering? I thought it cannot.

I don't know if you have been reading my posts backwards, or sideways,
or what, but that has been my point all this time so far.

Then I sincerely apologize - I have never known trackers to have such features.

[psishock]

http://forum.openmpt.org/index.php?msg=24173.0 <-------
grabs Waxhead's appealing ears and pulls them here: :smile_: