OT: Theming custom widgets [was Re: xfdesktop patch (new mcs options for icon labels)]

[Nikolas Arend]

Joe Klemmer wrote:
> Brian J. Tarricone wrote:
>
>   
>> Having said that, I just absolutely love how I go out of my way to
>> implement a feature people had asked for (that I wasn't originally too
>> interested in implementing), only for some people to feel the need to
>> complain about it when it's done.  Jesus, people, give it a rest.  It's
>> a HIDDEN OPTION for those of you with the ability and need to tinker.
>> For all intents and purposes to the average user, the option does not
>> (and, IMO, need not) exist.  Does that put things in perspective?
>>     
>
> 	Nothing sucks more than to spend all of your spare time and a good deal 
> of your blood, sweat & tears to build something and give it to people 
> for no direct (or indirect) compensation only to have some feel they 
> have the right to demand things of you.
>   

Well, Joe, I don't recall anybody _demanding_ anything of Brian or 
expressing that they felt having the right to do so. Not me anyway. And 
nobody ever questioned what the xfce guys in general and Brian in 
particular have achieved. I'm really really thankful for their work too, 
that's why I'm interested in it. And if there was a PayPal account or so 
I'd transfer some bucks worth a bunch of beers.

That kind of posts like yours above, implying s.th. which was never said 
that way, make me a bit angry. A few posts earlier in the original 
thread you yourself were interested in that patch and were referring to 
the fact that xfdesktop is GPL'ed software and people should "vote with 
their feet". For the record: I never intended branching xfdesktop and 
creating my own competitive tool. The patch was just meant as a 
contribution to this list, whether or not it's gonna be used. And it was 
well-meant and not provocatively.

I might have a bit different view on desktop managing programs like 
xfdesktop. In my opinion, besides being effective to work with, 
well-written and lightweight, they deal, by nature, also with 
convenience, visual attractiveness and eye-candy of some kind. The 
latter attributes are also important for working with them on a daily 
basis (OSX is a good example). Why else would there be a nice 
background, nicely drawn icons, drag-and-drop features, etc? Those 
things are not essential, they could be either left out or achieved by 
other means. But it's normally more fun if they're there.

My opinion about the so-called hidden options is that they should be 
those which are either really very exotic and apply to rare cases, or 
better left alone by (and kept away from) those not exactly knowing what 
they do. The options we were talking in this and the original threads 
were, IMO, not of this kind. That's why I offered the patch for the mcs 
plugin.

So, that was my opinion on the matter. And again, it has nothing to do 
with telling Brian what he has to do or not. It's his program and I hope 
he keeps on doing the good work.

Btw, although I don't regard a thread about "theming custom widgets" 
being OT, it's definitely becoming so now.
So I better shut up.

Best,  Nick.