Re. http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-help/2003/06/30/0001.html

No, an X-using package should *not* require any WM, unless the windowmanager
is really core to the functionality of the package (it is with KDE, and more
or less with GNOME---though I point out that last I checked, GNOME could use
twm).   KDE, of course, provides (and requires) its own, while GNOME just has
a preference (not a requirement) for one external wm.

You don't need a wm to run X applications.  Or, if you wish to pick at nits,
you don't need an *external* one.  (The X server provides minimal wm services
if there is no wm client running.)

Granted, not many people run X without a window manager for extended periods
of time.  (^&  But the applications do not need it and should not count on
it.

Window managers help the user manage their X environment.  They don't provide
any essential functionality for most applications.  Hence, few (if any)
applications should depend upon an installed wm.


Also, as noted, NetBSD includes one external window manager (twm) which is
rather configurable and quite nice.  I thought that X (certainly XFree86)
could always be counted on to provide twm.  Certainly, it should be free,
so there's little reason to remove it unless a very strongly encouraged
alternate is provided---in which case, there will still be a wm.


-- 
  "I probably don't know what I'm talking about."  http://www.olib.org/~rkr/