116 lines
6.7 KiB
HTML
116 lines
6.7 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3O//DTD W3 HTML 2.0//EN">
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<!Converted with LaTeX2HTML 95.1 (Fri Jan 20 1995) by Nikos Drakos (nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk), CBLU, University of Leeds >
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<TITLE>1.4.4 The X Window System</TITLE>
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<meta name="description" value="1.4.4 The X Window System">
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<meta name="resource-type" value="document">
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html1858 HREF="node17.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1856 HREF="node12.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1850 HREF="node15.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1860 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1861 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1859 HREF="node17.html">1.4.5 Networking</A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1857 HREF="node12.html">1.4 Software Features</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1851 HREF="node15.html">1.4.3 Programming languages and </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<H2><A NAME=SECTION00344000000000000000>1.4.4 The X Window System</A></H2>
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<P>
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The X Window System is the standard graphics interface for UNIX
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machines. It is a powerful environment supporting many applications.
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Using X Windows, the user can have multiple terminal windows on the screen
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at once, each one containing a different login session. A pointing device
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such as a mouse is often used with the X interface, although it isn't
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<A NAME=327> </A>
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required.
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<P>
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Many X-specific
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applications have been written, such as games, graphics utilities,
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programming and documentation tools, and so on.
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With Linux and X, your system is a bona fide workstation.
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Coupled with TCP/IP networking, you can even display X applications running
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on other machines on your Linux display, as is possible with other
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systems running X.
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<P>
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The X Window System was originally developed at MIT, and is freely
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distributable. However, may commercial vendors have distributed proprietary
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enhancements to the original X Windows software. The version of X Windows
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available for Linux is known as XFree86, a port of X11R5 made freely
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distributable for 80386-based UNIX systems such as Linux. XFree86 supports
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a wide range of video hardware, including VGA, Super VGA, and a number of
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accelerated video adaptors. This is a complete distribution of the
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X Windows software, containing the X server itself, many applications
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<A NAME=328> </A>
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and utilities, programming libraries, and documentation.
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<P>
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Standard X applications include <tt>xterm</tt> (a terminal emulator used
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for most text-based applications within an X window); <tt>xdm</tt> (the
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X Session Manager, which handles logins); <tt>xclock</tt> (a simple clock
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display); <tt>xman</tt> (an X-based man page reader), and more. The many
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X applications available for Linux are too numerous to mention here,
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but the base XFree86 distribution includes the ``standard'' applications
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found in the original MIT release. Many others are available
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separately, and theoretically any application written for X Windows
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should compile cleanly under Linux.
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<P>
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The look and feel of the X Windows interface is controlled to a large
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extent by the <b>window manager</b>. This friendly program is in
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charge of the placement of windows, the user interface for resizing,
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iconifying, and moving windows, the appearance of window frames, and
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so on. The standard XFree86 distribution includes <tt>twm</tt>, the classic
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MIT window manager, although more advanced window managers
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such as the Open Look Virtual Window Manager (<tt>olvwm</tt>) are available
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as well. One window manager that is popular among Linux users is <tt>fvwm</tt>.
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This is a small window manager, requiring less than half of the memory
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used by <tt>twm</tt>. It provides a 3-D appearance
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for windows, as well a virtual desktop---if the user moves the mouse
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to the edge of the screen, the entire desktop is shifted as if the
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display were much larger than it actually is. <tt>fvwm</tt> is greatly
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customizable, and allows all functions to be accessed from the keyboard
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as well as the mouse. Many Linux distributions use <tt>fvwm</tt> as the
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standard window manager.
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<P>
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The XFree86 distribution contains programming libraries and include files
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for those wily programmers who wish to develop X applications. Various
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widget sets, such
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as Athena, Open Look, and Xaw3D are supported. All of the standard fonts,
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bitmaps, man pages, and documentation are included.
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PEX (a programming interface for 3-D graphics) is also supported.
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<P>
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Many X applications programmers use the proprietary Motif widget set for
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<A NAME=340> </A>
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development. Several vendors sell single and multiple-user
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licenses for a binary version of Motif for Linux. Because Motif itself
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is relatively expensive, not many Linux users own it. However, binaries
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statically linked with Motif routines may be freely distributed. Therefore,
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if you write a program using Motif and wish to distribute it freely, you
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may provide a binary so that users without Motif can use the program.
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<P>
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The only major caveats with X Windows are the hardware and memory requirements.
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A 386 with 4 megabytes of RAM is capable of running X, but 8 megabytes or
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more of physical RAM are needed to use it comfortably. A faster processor
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is nice to have as well, but having enough physical RAM is much more
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important. In addition, to achieve really slick video performance, an
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accelerated
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video card (such as a local bus S3-chipset card) is strongly recommended.
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Performance ratings in excess of 140,000 xstones have been acheived with
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Linux and XFree86. With sufficient hardware, you'll find that running X
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and Linux is as fast, or faster, than running X on other UNIX workstations.
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<P>
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In Chapter <A HREF="node197.html#chapadvanced">5</A> we'll discuss how to install and use X on your
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system.
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<P>
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<A NAME=342> </A>
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<P>
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html1858 HREF="node17.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1856 HREF="node12.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1850 HREF="node15.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1860 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1861 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1859 HREF="node17.html">1.4.5 Networking</A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1857 HREF="node12.html">1.4 Software Features</A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1851 HREF="node15.html">1.4.3 Programming languages and </A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<BR> <HR>
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<P><ADDRESS>
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<I>Matt Welsh <BR>
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mdw@sunsite.unc.edu</I>
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</ADDRESS>
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</BODY>
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