File: rpx.info,  Node: About,  Next: Concepts,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 About
*******

Originally, Shawn Betts wrote ratpoison.  About a decade later, after
Shawn Betts had moved on to stumpwm, Thien-Thi Nguyen ported version
1.4.2 (circa) to Guile 1.4.x Scheme and renamed it "rpx", kind of like
"ratpoison exhumed".

   Rpx (like ratpoison) is a simple Window Manager with no fat library
dependencies, no fancy graphics, no window decorations, and no rodent
dependence.  It is largely modeled after GNU Screen which has done
wonders in the virtual terminal market.  All interaction with the
window manager is done through keystrokes; rpx has a prefix map to
minimize the key clobbering that cripples Emacs and other quality
pieces of software.

   This release tracks features and bugfixes available in ratpoison
1.4.5 (circa) for the most part.  For those who are familiar with
ratpoison, here is a list of notable differences (in no particular
order):

   * Distribution pruned (directories/files zonked).  This includes
     `contrib/', `debian/', `FAQ', `MERCHANDISE', `ratpoison.spec',
     `ipaq.ratpoisonrc', `ratpoison.1', `sample.ratpoisonrc', etc.

   * Default terminal emulation program is `x-terminal-emulator' (was
     `xterm').

   * Dropped configure script option `--enable-debug'.

   * In error messages (to stderr), rpx includes serial id (of the X
     protocol stream) and the name of the offending X protocol request.
     This is mostly useful in debugging rpx proper.

   * All `def*' commands dropped, as well as the `compat' command.

   * The init file (if used) is expected to be encoded in UTF-8.  If
     not, rpx barfs.  Also, comments in the init file begin with `;'
     (semicolon) instead of `#'.

   * Selection handling is done with UTF-8 (atom `UTF8_STRING').  There
     is no support for `COMPOUND_TEXT' and `TEXT' as conversion
     targets.  This is probably a step backwards from the goal of full
     EWMH compliance (someday), but perhaps rpx can regain this support
     via Guile 1.9.x facilities.

   * No xft support.

   * All (lib)history support dropped.

   * Format of dump/restore information more Schemey.

   * Output of `time' command now the result of `(strftime
     "%A\n%Y-%m-%d\n%H:%M:%S" ...)'.

   * Default window border width is zero (was one).

   * License is GPLv3+.  Documentation is dual-licensed: either GPLv3+
     or GFDL 1.2+.