Clipboard selection - solution(?)

[Waldo Bastian]

>  The differences from the X11-pure style can be:
>
>  1) text selected by keyboard doesn't become PRIMARY
>  2) autoselected text (tabbing, preselecting) doesn't become PRIMARY
>  3) when there's no selected text, selection is still remembered (the last
>      valid selection)
>  4) when a text is selected elsewhere, previously selected text stays selected
>  5) when a text is selected elsewhere, previously selected text stays selected
>      with a different color
>  6) explicit actions like 'copy link location' set selection, even if there's
>     no text selected
>
>  Now, let's have a look at the problems and solution one by one.

I think one should define a clear and simple concept. That way users 
will be better able to understand how it works IMO. I would propose 
"PRIMARY contains the text most recently selected by the user with 
the mouse".

That would imply:

1) yes
2) yes
3) yes
4) either way, it is no longer dictated by PRIMARY.
5) no, the color would then mean that the text reflects PRIMARY (or 
not) but that would either result in very complex behavior (e.g. a 
mouse selection followed by a keyboard selection would need to show 
two selections with different color) or inconsistent behavior (a 
mouse selection followed by a keyboard selection would no longer 
highlight the mouse selection, but that is inconsistent because 
PRIMARY would still contain the mouse-selected text but would no 
longer be highlighted as such.) A much easier solution is to let go 
of the idea that PRIMARY has a visual representation at all. It would 
be a hidden concept, just as the clipboard.
6) no

For 4) I would recommend:
4) yes, i think this allows users to use selection as a more lasting 
way of marking text fragments. (E.g. you could mark an important part 
of an e-mail on desktop 6, continue with your work on desktop 4, and 
at the end of the day return to your e-mail on desktop 6 with the 
markings still intact.)

Cheers,
Waldo