"Moded" Keys in FVWM

I am highly encouraged to use the FVWM2 X Window Manager at work on Linux.
Not exactly forced, but other options are a hassle.

Finally got around to providing some key bindings.

In particular, this hack to enter a "mode" where a window's size is changed by repeated key presses
(1) define a menu with hotkeys calling a function
(2) have the function perform the action (e.g. narrowing the window), and then re-invoke the menu with the hotkeys.

I haven't seen it described in the FVWM2 FAQ, although I got the idea from a FAQ suggestion wrt using hotkeys.

########################################################################################

## Andy Glew stuff
AddToMenu MainMenu
+    "Glew"                    Popup Glew
AddToMenu Window_Ops
+    "Glew"                    Popup Glew
+       "Ident"                                 Module FvmwIdent

Key F1 A SC Menu Glew
Mouse 1 A SC Menu Glew



#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AddToMenu Glew "Glew" Title
+       "&RaiseLower"                                RaiseLower
+       "Resi&ze"                                Resize
+       "&PlaceAgain"                           PlaceAgain
+     ""                    Nop
+    "Maximize (toggle)"             Maximize
+    "Maximize"                 Maximize true
+    "&UnMaximize"                 Maximize false
+    "Maximize 1850px1100p"             Maximize true 1850p 1100p
+    "Resize 1850p 1100p"             Resize 1850p 1100p
+     ""                    Nop
+       "MainMenu"                              Menu MainMenu
+       "Window_Ops"                            Menu Window_Ops
+    "Glew_Window_Sizes"            Menu Glew_Window_Sizes
+    "&Keyboard commands"             Menu Glew_Window_Manager_Keyboard_Commands_Menu
+    "   Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard"     Menu Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard
+    "   Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu"     Menu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu
+     ""                    Nop
+       "FvwmConsole"                           Module FvwmConsole -fg black -bg green3
+    "Restart Fvwm2"                Restart fvwm2
+     ""                    Nop
+       "Ident"                                 Module FvwmIdent

AddToMenu Glew_Window_Sizes "Glew_Window_Sizes" Title
+    "1000x660 toshiba 3505"         Maximize true 1000p 700p
+    "1000x700 largest compaq evo n115"     Maximize true 1000p 700p
+    "1024x768"                Maximize true 1024p 768p
+    "1260x956 Largest Thinkpad T42p"     Maximize true 2900p 956p
+    "1350x1000 Largest Thinkpad T43p"     Maximize true 1350p 1000p
+    "1350x980"                 Maximize true 1350p 980p
+    "1400x1050"                Maximize true 1400p 1050p
+    "1500x1100"                Maximize true 1500p 1100p
+    "1550x1100 largest sony grx580"     Maximize true 1500p 1100p
+    "1550x1100 largest thinkpad a21p"     Maximize true 1500p 1100p
+    "1600x1200"                Maximize true 1600p 1200p
+    "1800x1100"                Maximize true 1800p 1100p
+    "1850x1100"                Maximize true 1850p 1100p
+    "1920x1200"                Maximize true 1920p 1200p
+    "2700x1000"                Maximize true 2700p 1000p
+    "2900x1120 2 monitors at work"         Maximize true 2900p 1120p
+    "2900x950"                Maximize true 2900p 950p

########################################################################################

AddToMenu Glew_Window_Manager_Keyboard_Commands_Menu "Glew Window Manager Keyboard Commands Menu" Title
#+    "Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard"          Menu Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu
+    "Glew_Window_&Sizing_From_Keyboard"          Menu Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard
+    "Glew_Window_&Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu"     Menu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu


########################################################################################

# Hack to enter a "mode" where a window's size is changed by repeated key presses
# (1) define a menu with hotkeys calling a function
# (2) have the function perform the action (e.g. narrowing the window),
#     and then re-invoke the menu with the hotkeys.

# Using the "c" client specific units, since they work well with emacs,
# even though they are NOT exactly characters.
# TBD: make use pixels.

DestroyMenu Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard
AddToMenu Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard "Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard" Titles
+    "&Wider"    Function Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function w+1c w+0c
+    "&Narrower"    Function Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function w-1c w-0c
+    "&Taller"    Function Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function w+0c w+1c
+    "&Shorter"      Function Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function w-0c w-1c

DestroyFunc Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function
AddToFunc Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard_Function
+ I Resize $0 $1
+ I Menu Glew_Window_Sizing_From_Keyboard

########################################################################################

# Similar hack to move windows from keyboard

SetEnv Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu 10p

DestroyMenu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu
AddToMenu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu "Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu" Titles
+    "&Right" Function Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function w+$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard] w+0p
+    "&Left"  Function Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function w-$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard] w-0p
+    "&Down"  Function Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function w+0p w+$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard]
+    "&Up"    Function Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function w-0p w-$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard]

DestroyFunc Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function
AddToFunc Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function
+ I Move $0 $1 warp
+ I Menu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu

## Vain attempt to make stepsize adjustable.
## TBD: fix
#
#AddToMenu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu "Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu" Titles
#+    "&faster"  Faster_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#+    "&slower"  Slower_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#
#DestroyFunc Faster_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#AddToFunc Faster_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#+ I SetEnv Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard 10p
#+ I Menu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu
#
#DestroyFunc Slower_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#AddToFunc Slower_Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard
#+ I SetEnv Stepsize_for_Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard 1p
#+ I Menu Glew_Window_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu

########################################################################################

#BROKEN: # Similar hack to move cursor from keyboard
#BROKEN: # DOES NOT WORK, since menus affect cursor position
#BROKEN:
#BROKEN: SetEnv Stepsize_for_Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu 10p
#BROKEN: # TBD: arrange to change
#BROKEN:
#BROKEN: DestroyMenu Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu
#BROKEN: AddToMenu Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu "Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu" Titles
#BROKEN: +    "&Right" Function Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function +$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard] +0p
#BROKEN: +    "&Left"  Function Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function -$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard] -0p
#BROKEN: +    "&Down"  Function Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function +0p +$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard]
#BROKEN: +    "&Up"    Function Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function -0p -$[Stepsize_for_Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard]
#BROKEN:
#BROKEN: DestroyFunc Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function
#BROKEN: AddToFunc Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Function
#BROKEN: + I CursorMove $0 $1
#BROKEN: + I Menu Glew_Cursor_Moving_From_Keyboard_Menu

#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# From the fvwm2 FAQ
#7.9  Moving the mouse/focus/page with the keyboard.
#
#   Try these key bindings for mouse movement:
#
#     # shift- to move a few pixels
#     Key   Left   A   S   CursorMove -1 0
#     Key   Right  A   S   CursorMove +1 +0
#     Key   Up     A   S   CursorMove +0 -1
#     Key   Down   A   S   CursorMove +0 +1

# Glew version of these bindings

# - I wish I had a modifier reserved for the X/VNC/FVMW2 window manager
# but since I am running Emacs meta is usually taken
# and since I am running under VNC on Windows the Windows key is taken
# (Moral: needone key per layer of Window Manager)

# so, anyway, the closest thing I have to a free modifier is meta-arrow

# shift- to move a few pixels
Key   Left   A   M   CursorMove -1 0
Key   Right  A   M   CursorMove +1 +0
Key   Up     A   M   CursorMove +0 -1
Key   Down   A   M   CursorMove +0 +1

git subtree

Mike Haertel forwarded me a link to git subtree.

It goes a long way towards what I want. It doesn't have the intentional branching - what it means for a project to be on the same branch as a subproject library it is using. But it goes a long way, perhaps most of the way, towards what I want.

Am I paranoid, or is this unacceptable?

I'm quite reluctant to blog about this, because it makes me seem crazy. Paranoid.

But: my computer is really slow. Lots of examples documented on this bog. 15 minutes to come out of standby. Pauses of minutes in the middle of writing a document. Etc. Etc.

I cannot imagine that most other employees suffer this slowness. I cannot imagine this being accepted by a wide number of people.

I can imagine that my computer might be slowed down by security software. Not just virus scanners, but possibly keyboard loggers or network traffic recorders or the like. Possibly installed by corporate security or IT or legal. I hope not malware. It often seems to run more slowly after I have blogged in public as I am doing now.

If this is the case, well: I understand that my employer has the right to monitor everything I do on my work computers. I agreed to it. It is US law.

I just wish that it did not impact my productivity so much by slowing down my computer so much.

And if I am being falsely paranoid, if these slowdowns are not the result of monitoring and security software, if other employees experience substantially the same slowdowns: WHY IS THIS TOLERATED!!!!!

Austin Airport Blog

I’m very happy with Southwest Airlines on this trip. Still cattle car boarding, but the legroom is better than any airline (United, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest) that I have flown recently. My shoulders are still wider than the seats, but that’s true of any airline below first class. (And I never travel first class.)

Here’s a nice touch: by Southwest’s gates in Austin’s Bergstrom airport, they have quite a few (8 that I can see) cabinets with power outlets besides unusually comfortable chairs. They even have USB, to charge up your phone. This is a welcome change from the usual airport “socket hunt”, having to walk all around to find an outlet, often far distant from your gate and requiring you to sit on the floor.

--

Peeve: pay internet.

At the Hilton in Austin: bad enough that I was paying twice what I should have, but that I had to pay 14$/day for Internet in my room as well? Or, rather, I did not pay, except two nights. The conference had free wireless, but with 150 slots for more than 500 people it was usually unavailable. Trouble is, my coworkers expect me to be connected. Now, here I am at the Austin airport, reluctant to pay for Boingo hotspot access. If I did pay, I could have my expense report (which must be completed online via a web app) before I got home. But I won’t pay, so even that trivial task piles up. If I were still at my hotel room I would have the last few of my second 24 hours. It’s not so much the paying for Internet, as the paying for it repeatedly because I am moving around. I swear I will get a data plan for my phone…

--

My new laptop computer has no privacy screen. That has a chilling effect. Must order one. I wonder why my company’s IT department doesn’t automatically provide one. I suppose that I should have ordered one as soon as I got my machine.

The chilling effect: so much for reading email at the conference, when it is visible to all behind me. I wanted to use the free internet at the conference, rather than the pay internet in my room. So much for reading ion the plane. I was willing to risk blogging, but then a few calendar reminders popped up.

Blogging from ISCA: couldn't keep up

I couldn't keep up. Not only is my typing limited, but my laptop PCs could not keep up.

I am not a touch typist, although I am a very fast hunt and pecker. It's not clear how much value there is to stream of consciousness blogging while I am watching a talk. Why not just get the slides from the speaker? There's value in recording answers to audience questions and off the cuff remarks that won't be on slides. But it is not clear that I will not be hurting myself by making such recordings. E.g. the remarks by HP's Kauffman about Intel's Atom in datacenters.

My company provided HP 8530 laptop is fast enough. When it is up. But when it takes 15 minutes to come out of a power save mode (as mine just did), it is darned easy to miss most of a 20 minute talk.

My OLPC XO is fast enough, and comes out of standby more quickly. I ran into a problem with fairly large text files - at a certain file size it slowed down to a crawl. Even slower than my work PC.

Anyway, enough excuses. My attempt to blog ISCA was not a success. Too bad.

Blogging from ISCA: limted WiFi

Only 150 connections for 500 people.

To reduce contention, will blog offline to a text file.

What were we saying about ubiquitous connectivity? You only get that if using cell services.

Blogging from ISCA: WDDD: Is TM easier than locks?

Is TM really easier than locks? Programmers must still write critical sections.

Experiment: measure on a class of inexperienced programmers in a UT OS class.

The problem: sync gallery: a rogue's gallery of synchronization. Rogues shoot paint balls in lanes. Cleaners. Etc.

9 different variations: {single lane, two lane, cleaner thread} X {coarse, fine, TM}

TM support: Year1 DSTM2 (Herlihy 06). Year2 JDASTM (Ramadan 09). Library, not langage support.

DSTM syntax baroque. "thread.doit(method)" == thread.execute_method_as_transaction(method).

JDASTM: txbegin, txend.

Survey included experience, hours, rankings

147 students

Hours reported:

single lane: coarse grained > tm > fine grain. They did coarse grained first.


Best syntax: coarse > (TM|Coarse) > fine > (fine|conditions)

Easiest to think about: coarse > fine|conditions > tm

Defects tested using condor.

Errors taxonomy:

• lock ordering - 8%
  
• lock cond - 7%
  
• lock forgot - 15%
  
• cv exotic - 8%
  
• cv use - 11%
  
• tm exotic - 3%
  
• tm forgot ..
  
• tm order - not really a bug ..

TM had far fewer errors.

---

Wants support for atomic blocks.

---

I asked if there were programmer visible abort actions - if there was contention. There was not.
AFG opinion: abort actions will be a source of errors. Hard to test. I like transactions, but I hate increasing non-determinism.

Audience Q: learning curve. Why not teach TM first, and then translate into locks?

I was surprised at syntax preference for coarse grained locks. IMHO txstart/txend is almost equivalent to lock/unlock coarse grained locks. The presenter was similarly puzzled.