problems using fixed window sizes

[Fulko Hew]

Forgive the rant that follows...

This isn't F12 specific.  As a matter of fact, I was just trying to do some
'packaging' development and SELinux on F11 when it bit me.  F12 and
its apps have the same issues, and its not even Fedora specific.
Now don't ask why I was doing it, its not relevant, but...

While doing my work, I'm using a virtual machine, (VirtualBox right now)
and it presents a nice window for Fedora to present itself into.
The trouble is that VirtualBox's display is not a very high resolution window.
Thats OK, I can live with that.  The problem comes when there are
applications that throw up windows that are of fixed size, and don't
have scroll bars!

For example,  system-config-selinux.  Using a limited resolution screen
the policy generation tool draws a window thats wider than the screen.
And unfortunately that places options and button on the window past
its right hand boundary.

<rant on>

Either window managers should auto-draw windows that can't fit on the display
so that they contain scroll bars, or the developers must be made smart
enough so they know _they_ have to do it.  (When I develop GUIs, my windows
are smart enough to auto-draw the scroll bars if the window doesn't fit on
the display.)

I suppose while I'm ranting... lets delve into "WHY is everyone defining
their dialog boxes and other windows as 'modal windows?" Rarely if
ever, does a window really need to be modal!  I can't tell you how many
times I've encountered a window where I need to go to another window
to determine the answer.  But the damn modal window prevents me from
doing it.  You have to back out of what your doing... find the answer...
then go forwards again, to get to the point of answering the original question.

ARGH!  It feels as though I'm using freak'in Windows.
Unix GUI apps _used_ to be _so_ much more friendlier.  :-(

<rant off>

Fulko