[SDL] X over SDL

[vining at pacificcoast.net]

>Couldn't SDL be changed to add a flag to the video mode indicating
>whether or not multiple windows were available? Off the top of my head,
>most fullscreen drivers could simply allocate an additional surface and
>do a full update when changing windows. Sort of like using ALT+F* to
>change virtual terminals under Linux. It's far from a complete solution,
>but you could implement a Web browser neatly under the Linux console by
>using the framebuffer device and switching from window to window with a
>keystroke combination.

I'm sure, but the problem with that is that SDL isn't designed for that. It's 
designed to be a simple library for game development, where you can request a 
single video surface quickly and easily, without having to worry about all the 
convolution that surrounds that... something like DOS graphics programming used 
to be (which is why I like SDL) It should _NOT_ support multiple windows 
because that's not in its mandate (although, of course, I don't have the final 
say here)

>Just out of curiosity, what do people think would be more likely to
>happen: a GTK+-to-SDL port that performs badly because of GKT+'s
>portability failures results in changes to GKT+?

>or, a GTK+-to-SDL port never gets performed because GTK+ just doesn't
>port well?

#2. Definitely #2. Besides which, if we port GTK+, we port its problems as 
well. I like the way that they set up their library, but it has bugs. Not 
unmanageable ones, but the occasional few.

What we MIGHT be able to do that would be neat is to tie in GTK+ to a SDL 
"middle-layer" window manager, which, when in fullscreen/windowed mode, would 
enable people to create extra windows by simply drawing them by hand with some 
sort of redraw hook... don't know how well that'd work. You'd execute 
gtk_main() and that would run the necessary code, so as far as your copy of SDL 
went you'd be trapped in limbo, unable to really access anything... so I'm not 
sure if that has a poi