    BowMan, n.
       1. an archer, [1250-1300]. 2. acronym, Bogus Openstep Workspace MANager.
       3. acronym, BO's Window MANager

     BowMan is based on the popular fvwm window manager, written by Robert 
Nation. It was originally a patch, to emulate the look and feel of the NeXTSTEP
user interface. Later numerous minor changes were made, and it 
gradually got a life of its own. Now patching fvwm is much more difficult than
maintaining a separate version. So this package is produced.

     Major changes from fvwm are: 1. NeXTSTEP-alike title bar, title buttons, 
borders and corners. 2. BowMan's Wharf is a much worked-out version of 
GoodStuff.  To avoid copyright complications it is not called a "dock." 
3. NeXTSTEP style menu. However the menus are not controlled by applications, 
they are more of pop-up service lists on the root window.  4. NeXTSTEP style 
icons. These styles are hard-coded in the program, thought to be good for a 
consistent look of NeXTSTEP interface.

     However, the flexibility of fvwm was not traded off. The initiation file, 
.bowmanrc, recognizes most of the fvwm( 1.24r) commands. Virtual screen and 
pagers are still intact. Fvwm modules should work just fine. However, 
compatibility with fvwm-2 is not planned.  I hope BowMan to be evolving towards 
a X-based window manager for GnuStep, other than a general purpose one like 
fvwm.

     You should install BowMan like installing fvwm:
        MakeMakefiles
        make
        cp sample.bowmanrc ~/.bowmanrc
In bowmanrc, the "NeXTSTEP looks" section should not be touched. Hopefully this 
part will go away in future versions. Users should at least localize ModulePath
and XpmPath. These are mandatory for cloning NeXTSTEP icons and buttons.

     Policies on copyright should follow fvwm. If you like the program, you are
encouraged to send a postcard to:

    Bo Yang
    115 Walnut Ave. #G
    San Diego, CA 92103
    USA

so that I won't feel as guilty for stealing my time from my physics study.
You are also advised to stay away from ugly icons, while BowMan is being used.

As they say, imitation is the most sincere flattering. I couldn't agree more.


- Bo Yang
eric@coeus.ucsd.edu
