Added README

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,242 @@
+# tile-manager
+
+A Rust Wayland tiling compositor project, built in small stages.
+
+The target is a simple desktop tile manager in the same general space as Hyprland or niri, but with a much narrower first scope:
+
+1. nested compositor first
+2. one output first
+3. one workspace first
+4. one tiling layout first
+
+This project should grow in the same order a Codecrafters-style guide would teach it: build the minimum working compositor, then add input, tiling, workspaces, multi-output, and finally standalone session support and polish.
+
+## Scope
+
+This is not an X11 window manager.
+
+It is intended to become a Wayland compositor that can:
+
+1. accept Wayland clients
+2. track windows, focus, outputs, and workspaces
+3. process keyboard and pointer input
+4. render surfaces
+5. apply a tiling layout
+
+## Planned Stack
+
+Primary Rust crates:
+
+- `smithay`: Wayland compositor foundation
+- `calloop`: event loop
+- `xkbcommon`: keyboard layout and modifiers
+- `tracing`: structured logging
+- `tracing-subscriber`: log output/filtering
+- `anyhow`: application-level error handling
+- `thiserror`: typed internal errors
+- `bitflags`: internal state flags
+
+Likely later additions:
+
+- `serde` + `toml`: config loading
+- `clap`: CLI flags
+- `zbus`: desktop integration
+- XWayland-related Smithay features: X11 app support
+
+## Development Order
+
+### Stage 0: Nested compositor
+
+Start inside an existing desktop session before touching DRM/KMS.
+
+Goal:
+
+- boot the compositor
+- open a Wayland client
+- confirm logs and state changes
+
+### Stage 1: Event loop and Wayland server
+
+Implement:
+
+1. logging setup
+2. `calloop::EventLoop`
+3. Wayland display state
+4. core Smithay globals
+
+Deliverable:
+
+- the process starts and stays alive cleanly
+
+### Stage 2: XDG toplevel support
+
+Implement:
+
+1. compositor state
+2. shared memory support
+3. XDG shell support
+4. seat support
+
+Deliverable:
+
+- a client can create a toplevel surface
+
+### Stage 3: Internal state model
+
+Add plain Rust types for:
+
+- compositor state
+- outputs
+- seats
+- workspaces
+- windows
+- tile layout state
+
+Deliverable:
+
+- stable state snapshots after every map/unmap/focus/layout event
+
+### Stage 4: Render one output
+
+Implement:
+
+1. one output
+2. solid background
+3. mapped surface rendering
+4. frame presentation
+
+Deliverable:
+
+- one client is visible on screen
+
+### Stage 5: Input and bindings
+
+Implement:
+
+1. keyboard input
+2. pointer input
+3. compositor modifier handling
+4. a few core commands
+
+Minimum commands:
+
+- spawn terminal
+- close focused window
+- cycle focus
+
+### Stage 6: Tiling
+
+Start with one layout only.
+
+Recommended first layouts:
+
+1. equal columns
+2. master-stack
+
+Deliverable:
+
+- new windows retile the workspace correctly
+
+### Stage 7: Workspaces
+
+Implement:
+
+1. workspace switching
+2. moving windows between workspaces
+3. independent workspace layout state
+
+### Stage 8: Multi-output
+
+Implement:
+
+1. output tracking
+2. per-output active workspace
+3. correct focus and new-window placement
+
+### Stage 9: Standalone session
+
+Only after the nested compositor is solid, add:
+
+1. DRM/KMS
+2. libinput
+3. session/seat handling
+4. VT switching
+
+### Stage 10: Polish
+
+Later features:
+
+- config file
+- IPC
+- floating windows
+- fullscreen
+- layer-shell support
+- screencopy
+- animations
+- XWayland
+
+## Suggested Layout
+
+```text
+src/
+  main.rs
+  app.rs
+  state.rs
+  backend/
+    mod.rs
+    nested.rs
+    tty.rs
+  input/
+    mod.rs
+    keyboard.rs
+    pointer.rs
+    bindings.rs
+  layout/
+    mod.rs
+    columns.rs
+    master.rs
+  shell/
+    mod.rs
+    xdg.rs
+    window.rs
+  render/
+    mod.rs
+    scene.rs
+  workspace/
+    mod.rs
+  config/
+    mod.rs
+```
+
+Guiding rule:
+
+- keep Smithay integration near the edges
+- keep layout and workspace logic in plain Rust types
+
+## System Dependencies
+
+The final compositor will also need Linux graphics/input libraries, depending on backend choice:
+
+- `libwayland`
+- `libxkbcommon`
+- `libudev`
+- `libinput`
+- `libdrm`
+- `gbm`
+- `egl` / `gles2`
+- `pixman`
+- `xwayland` for X11 clients
+
+## References
+
+- Smithay docs: https://docs.rs/smithay/latest/smithay/
+- Smithay project docs: https://smithay.github.io/smithay/smithay/
+- wayland-server docs: https://smithay.github.io/wayland-rs/wayland_server/
+- calloop docs: https://docs.rs/calloop/latest/calloop/
+- xkbcommon docs: https://docs.rs/xkbcommon/latest/xkbcommon/
+
+## Status
+
+Right now the repo is still at the very beginning. The current documentation is the roadmap.
+
+For a fuller step-by-step build guide, see [GUIDE.md](/home/henry/rust-projects/tile-manager/GUIDE.md).