Callisto Desktop/User Guide

A concise introduction

Windows

What is a Window?

Windows are created by applications running on the system, but the window manager retains ultimate control over their status. Each window consists of application-supplied content encapsulated in a frame, which is supplied by the window manager. Applications often make their own rules and do unpredictable things within their content area, but the window frame belongs to the system and can be relied upon to behave consistently in all situations.

If an application is able to override the window manager's instructions, it is a bug in need of correction.

Windows float over the Desktop in a "stack." Imagine paper piled on a desk, or a Z axis protruding towards you from the display, with the Desktop furthest away from you. A window's place in the stack determines which windows appear above it, and which appear below it. Each window exists in its own plane and contains its own content area.