>>> I am playing with the new features in windows (as in emacs). I found
 >>> some window-parameters aren't documented such as window-side and
 >>> window-atom.
 >> Hopefully they will make it into Emacs 24.2.
 >
 > Do you mean those features are yet to be implemented? BTW, they were
 > mentioned in the elisp info file.

The features that have to be re-implemented are the routines to set up
the windows.  Currently, you have to do that manually which works for
cases like the one you describe but I want to handle multiple side
windows on each frame.

 > Let me use this for illustration:
 >           ______________________________________
 >          | ______  ____________________________ |
 >          ||      || __________________________ ||
 >          ||      |||                          |||
 >          ||      |||                          |||
 >          ||      |||                          |||
 >          ||      |||____________W4____________|||
 >          ||      || __________________________ ||
 >          ||      |||                          |||
 >          ||      |||                          |||
 >          ||      |||____________W5____________|||
 >          ||__W2__||_____________W3_____________ |
 >          |__________________W1__________________|
 >
 >
 > If I put speedbar buffer in W2, I want those window operations to think
 > as if W3 is the ``frame root window''. So for example, C-x 1 should not
 > delete W2. C-x 0 should never have W2 occupy the whole frame.
 >
 > Is this currently possible?

That's precisely what "making W2 a left side window" would stand for.

 > Unfortunately that would mean difficulty to try it out but I guess I can
 > wait until 24.1 is released.

I attach a simple file you can load from your .emacs.  You then should
be able to create W2 via something like

(display-buffer
  "SPEEDBAR"
  '(display-buffer-in-side-window (side . left) (slot . 0)))

and tell me how it works.  The sooner I get your feedback the sooner I
will be able to adapt the concept appropriately.

martin