Re: [dane@mail.abcsinc.com: Scroll bars]

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

    Some users expect the Motif-like behavior offered by Gtk/Lesstif/KDE/...
    and Xaw3d-with-scroll-bar-arrows, while others expect the old non-toolkit
    behavior which is also the standard behavior of Xaw
    and Xaw3d-without-scrollbar-arrows.

There may be both kinds, but the two cases are not parallel, and not
equally important.

Many computer users who are new to Emacs are accustomed to
more-or-less Motif-like scroll behavior.  They often get completely
confused by the current non-arrow Xaw3D behavior.  They think Emacs
scroll bars are simply broken.  Most of them don't send bug reports.

By contrast, the old X users who are used to the xterm scroll bar
commands will know how to cope if they get the Motif-like behavior.
Even if they can't change it, they will figure out how to use it.
They won't just give up and say "it's broken."

We need a way to make Xaw3D always deliver Motif-like behavior.

    Fiddling with the Xaw3d toolkit's mouse-bindings via Xresources is not
    something I have the time and/or inclination to do right now, so I
    can't really help.  Also this would only provide the customizability
    for Xaw3d but not for Lesstif.  I don't know how to do such a customization
    for Lesstif.

The urgent need is only for Xaw3d, and only to make it behave the way
LessTif scroll bars normally do.

It would be nice to have more general customization facilities, and to
be able to customize LessTif scrolling, but that is much more than
what we need.  Let's not give up on a small task just because it
suggests a larger possible task.

Can someone please offer to work now on the job that is needed now?