How do I get ZapWarning patch merged into X? (was: Poll: Should Xorg change from using Ctrl+Alt+Backspace...)

[Jason Spiro]

CyberOrg <cyberorg <at> opensuse.org> wrote:
> 
> Since openSUSE 11.0 users have to hit ctrl+alt+backspace twice quickly
> to kill X.

That's a better idea than my original idea, since users who see that
Ctrl+Alt+Bksp isn't working may figure that X is responding slowly, so they may
press ctrl+alt+bksp several more times repeatedly.

It looks like OpenSuse have done it by adding a patch "zap_warning_xserver.diff"
to the xorg-x11-server package.  It makes Xorg recognize a new xorg.conf file
option, "ZapWarning".  When ZapWarning is on, pushing Ctrl+Alt+Bksp once emits a
two-second long beep; pushing Ctrl+Alt+Bksp again within two seconds kills Xorg.

Developers all hate it, because they need to kill X often.  Most users don't
mind it; a few have complained, but not that many.  I am sure the users who are
saved from data loss because of it are very happy with it.

A few people complained that the beep is too annoying.  The solution to that
would be to edit the patch to make it less annoying.[1]

How could I get the Xorg project to accept the ZapWarning patch, preferably with
ZapWarning enabled by default?  Should I simply attach a copy of the patch to a
new Bugzilla bug and hope for the best?


Regards,
Jason


^ [1].  The ideal would be to reduce the loudness of the beep.  Reducing the
first parameter (loudness) to the xf86SoundKbdBell call in the patch should do
that, but I don't know if it would work on all PCs.  Does it?  If it indeed
doesn't work on all PCs, reduce the pitch to a low sound (maybe an octave or two
below the middle "C" note) instead.  Or emit eight very short beeps, maybe 0.05
s long; emit one every quarter-second.