idle detection

[Ethan Blanton]

Sean Egan spake unto us the following wisdom:
> It seems like perhaps the best thing to do is to make the IDLEMARK
> constant, currently set to 10 minutes, use the value set in that
> preference instead, and poll that frequently when not idle.

We can do even better than this; when we are not idle, any time we do
something which causes us to *realize* we are not idle (e.g., the
"Pidgin usage" idle callbacks are called), push the timer back for the
entire idle preference period; if that timer expires, and we are not
yet "idle enough", set the timer for the idle preference period minus
our current idle time.

> When we are idle, we should poll very frequently (once a second,
> even?) to make sure we come back as soon as possible.

This is ... distasteful to me, but I really don't know what else to do
about it.  This is precisely when we want to be saving the most power.
Can we get buy-in from any desktop environments or screen saver
applications via d-bus or anything?  I realize that X11 itself has no
real solution for this just yet.  What are the screensavers doing
these days?  Do they rely on display capture?

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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