ISSUES AND EXPERIENCES IN THE DESIGN OF A WINDOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

Window systems underlie many successful human-computer interfaces. But constructing them involves several fundamental design issues which are resolved in various ways by different implementations. These affect both user's and programmer's interface, and include tiling vs overlapping windows; program vs user control of windows; techniques for coping with changeable window sizes; design of transient windows; low-level vs high-level tools for the programmer; local vs distributed control; and the role of a controlling window manager process. There is no broad consensus among designers as to how best to make such decisions. This paper illuminates the issues involved by surveying characteristics of window systems and discussing dominant design questions. The philosophy and implementation underlying the JADE window manager constructed at the University of Calgary is revealed, and the design is reevaluated from the perspective of three years' experience of using the system and programming within it.