Trying to make sense of all the X modular packages

Alan Coopersmith alan.coopersmith at sun.com
Thu Nov 10 19:54:57 PST 2005


Looking at the full list of packages in X now and the list seems a bit
overwhelming.   In an attempt to help people make sense of the new modular
world, I've made a list of the packages and tried to organize them into
logical groups to help users and packagers figure out which ones they want.
For now I've left out all the fonts & drivers, hoping it's obvious which of
those you want to install.

I'm not even familiar with all of these, so I guessed on some, and am probably
biased in how I divided others, but this is intended as an initial draft for
others to give input on, not a final pronouncement.

The categories I've broken them into are:

Core X11 runtime:   Things every basic desktop system should have to run.
  You could run specialized/embedded environments with less, but a general
  purpose desktop should probably have them all.

Core X11 build/development/install:   Things you don't need for running X,
  but need to build the Xorg modular tree, or to build/install additional
  X software or fonts.

Extended X11 platform:  Additional useful utilities that many general
  purpose desktops will want to have installed, but not everyone will.

Legacy X11 platform:  Utilities used in classic X desktops, but which
  desktops like GNOME and KDE generally provide their own versions of,
  so you may not need if you plan to exclusively use/support one of those
  desktops, but would want for users with existing desktop environments.
  Also, software you may need to build and/or run legacy third-party apps,
  like apps using Xt-based toolkits like Motif/Xaw or software built with
  Imakefiles.

Experimental:  Stuff which will likely become part of the X Core in the future
  but isn't quite there yet.

Obsolete/deprecated:  Things we shipped in this release to complete the
  monolith -> modular transition, but don't recommend most people use and
  which will probably not be included in the future.   Suggested replacements
  are shown for each of these.

Samples/demo/test apps:  Primarily useful to developers or people needing to
  test that various extensions are working properly.

Do these make sense?   Is this something we should post in the wiki?
Did I guess wrong on where I categorized any of these?  (Ignoring the
inevitable Xprint flamage.)

	-alan-

Core X11 runtime:

  app/iceauth		- ICE authority file utility
  app/rgb		- X colorname -> RGB mapping database
  app/sessreg		- Register X sessions in system utmp/utmpx databases
  app/setxkbmap		- set the keyboard using the X Keyboard Extension
  app/smproxy		- Session Manager Proxy
  app/xauth		- X authority file utility
  app/xdpyinfo		- display information utility for X
  app/xev		- print contents of X events
  app/xhost		- server access control program for X
  app/xinit		- X Window System initializer (includes startx)
  app/xkbcomp		- compile XKB keyboard description
  app/xkill		- kill a client by its X resource
  app/xlsatoms		- list interned atoms defined on server
  app/xlsclients		- list client applications running on a display
  app/xlsfonts		- list X fonts available on X server
  app/xmodmap		- utility for modifying keymaps and button mappings
  app/xprop		- property displayer for X
  app/xrandr		- primitive command line interface to RandR extension
  app/xrdb		- X server resource database utility
  app/xrefresh		- refresh all or part of an X screen
  app/xset		- user preference utility for X
  app/xsetmode		- set the mode for an X Input device
  app/xsetpointer	- set an X Input device as the main pointer
  app/xsm		- X Session Manager
  app/xvinfo		- Print out X-Video extension adaptor information
  app/xwininfo		- window information utility for X
  data/bitmaps		- standard set of X bitmaps
  data/cursors		- standard set of X cursors
  lib/FS			- X Font Service client library
  lib/ICE		- Inter-Client Exchange library
  lib/SM			- Session Management library
  lib/X11		- X11 Client library
  lib/Xau		- X Authorization routines
  lib/Xdmcp		- X Display Manager Control Protocol routines
  lib/Xext		- common X Extensions library
  lib/Xfont		- X font handling library for server & utilities
  lib/Xfontcache		- X-TrueType font cache extension client library
  lib/Xft		- Client side font rendering library
  lib/Xi			- X Input Extension library
  lib/Xinerama		- Xinerama protocol library
  lib/Xmu		- X miscellaneous utility routines
  lib/Xpm		- XPM format pixmap library
  lib/Xrandr		- Xrandr extension library
  lib/Xrender		- RENDER extension library
  lib/Xv			- Xvideo extension library
  lib/fontenc		- font encoding library
  lib/lbxutil		- LBX utility routines
  lib/xkbfile		- XKB file handling routines
  xserver/xorg		- X servers (including Xorg, Xprt, Xvfb, Xnest, & Xdmx)

  Platform specific:
   lib/AppleWM		- [MacOS]
   lib/WindowsWM		- [Win32]
   app/xdriinfo		- query configuration information of DRI drivers
			  [DRI-supporting platforms]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Core X11 build/development/install:
  app/bdftopcf		- convert X font from Bitmap Distribution Format to
				Portable Compiled Format
  app/mkcfm		- create summaries of CID font metric files
  app/mkfontdir		- create an index of X font files in a directory
  app/mkfontscale	- create an index of scalable font files for X
  app/xcursorgen		- create an X cursor file from PNG images
  doc/xorg-sgml-doctools - document format conversion tools for SGML docs
  lib/xtrans		- X Network Transport layer shared code
  proto/BigReqs
  proto/Fontcache
  proto/Fonts
  proto/GL
  proto/Input
  proto/KB
  proto/PM
  proto/Xinerama
  proto/Randr
  proto/Render
  proto/Resource
  proto/ScrnSaver
  proto/Video
  proto/X11
  proto/XCMisc
  proto/XExt
  proto/XF86Misc
  proto/XF86VidMode
  util/macros		- autoconf macros used in X modular configure.ac files

  Platform specific:
   proto/AppleWM		- [MacOS]
   proto/WindowsWM	- [Win32]
   proto/XF86DRI		- [DRI-supporting platforms]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extended X11 platform:
  app/bitmap		- XBM format bitmap editor and converter utilities
  app/scripts [xauth_switch_to_sun-des-1] - Secure RPC (SUN-DES-1) helper script
  app/xcmsdb		- Device Color Characterization utility for
				X Color Management System
  app/xfd		- display all the characters in an X font
  app/xfontsel		- point and click selection of X11 font names
  app/xgamma		- Alter a monitor's gamma correction through the
				X server
  app/xkbprint		- print an XKB keyboard description
  app/xload		- system load average display for X
  app/xmag		- magnify parts of the screen
  app/xman		- Unix manual page viewer
  app/xmore		- plain text display program for the X Window System
  app/xpr		- print an X window dump from xwd
  app/xrx		- "Broadway"
  app/xvidtune		- video mode tuner for Xorg
  app/xwd		- dump current contents of X window or screen to file
  app/xwud		- display an X window dump from xwd
  lib/XRes		- X Resource extension
  lib/XScrnSaver		- MIT-SCREEN-SAVER extension
  lib/XTrap		- X Trap extension
  lib/Xcursor	
  lib/Xtst
  lib/XvMC
  lib/Xxf86dga
  lib/Xxf86misc
  lib/Xxf86vm
  lib/dmx
  lib/xkbui
  proto/DMX
  proto/Record
  proto/Trap
  proto/XF86BigFont
  proto/XF86DGA
  proto/XF86Rush

  X Font Server & related tools:
   app/fslsfonts		- list fonts served by X font server
   app/fstobdf		- generate BDF font from X font server
   app/showfont		- show information about X font from font server
   app/xfs		- X Font Server
   app/xfsinfo		- X font server information utility

  Xprint & related software:
   app/pclcomp		- Compress PCL printer image output files
   app/xplsprinters	- List Xprint printers
   app/xprehashprinterlist	- Rehash list of Xprint printers
   lib/Xp		- Xprint client library
   lib/XprintAppUtil	- Xprint application utility routines
   lib/XprintUtil	- Xprint application utility routines
   proto/Print		- Xprint Protocol

  Platform specific:
   app/constype		- print type of console
				[SPARC & Sun/3 platforms, plus Solaris x86]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Legacy X11 platform:

  app/luit		- Convert terminal i/o from legacy encodings to UTF-8
  app/oclock		- round X clock
  app/twm		- simple window manager
  app/xbiff		- watch mailboxes for new message delivery
  app/xcalc		- scientific calculator for X
  app/xclipboard		- X clipboard manager
  app/xclock		- X clock
  app/xconsole		- monitor system console messages with X
  app/xditview		- display ditroff output
  app/xdm		- X Display Manager / XDMCP server
  app/xedit		- simple text editor for X
  app/xmessage		- display a message or query in a window
  app/xsetroot		- root window parameter setting utility for X
  app/xstdcmap		- X standard colormap utility
  lib/Xaw		- Athena Widgets toolkit

  Xt Toolkit Intrinsics and related software:
   app/appres		- list X application resource database
   app/editres		- dynamic resource editor for X Toolkit applications
   app/listres		- list resources in widgets
   app/viewres		- graphical class/resource browser for Xt
   lib/Xt		- X Toolkit Intrinsics library

  X Network Proxies & Remote Start:   [Preferred replacements: ssh and/or NX]
   app/lbxproxy		- Low BandWidth X proxy
   app/proxymngr		- proxy manager service
   app/rstart		- Remote Start client
   app/xfindproxy	- locate proxy services
   app/xfwp		- X Firewall Proxy

  Imake build system:
   util/cf		- Imake config files
   util/imake		- Imake utility
   util/makedepend	- makefile dependency listing generator
   util/xmkmf		- Imake helper utility

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Experimental:
  app/fonttosfnt		- Wrap a bitmap font in a sfnt (TrueType) wrapper
  lib/Xcomposite		- Composite extension
  lib/Xdamage		- Damage extension
  lib/Xevie		- XEvIE extension
  lib/Xfixes		- X-Fixes extension
  proto/Composite	- Composite extension
  proto/Damage		- Damage extension
  proto/EvIE		- XEvIE extension
  proto/Fixes		- X-Fixes extension

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obsolete/Deprecated:
  app/scripts [xon]	- run X command on another system via rsh
				[Preferred replacement: ssh]
  app/xmh		- X interface to MH mail tools
				[Preferred replacement: exmh]
  data/xkbdata		- XKB keyboard configuration data
				[Preferred replacement: xkb-config]
  lib/oldX 		- X version 10 backwards compatibility
				[Preferred replacement: X11!]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sample/demo/test applications:
  app/beforelight	- MIT-SCREEN-SAVER sample
  app/ico		- animate an icosahedron or other polyhedron
  app/x11perf		- simple X server performance benchmarker
  app/xdbedizzy		- DBE sample
  app/xeyes		- follow the mouse/SHAPE extension X demo
  app/xf86dga		- test program for the XFree86-DGA extension
  app/xgc		- X graphics demo
  app/xkbevd		- XKB event daemon demo
  app/xkbutils		- XKB utility demos
  app/xlogo		- Draw [old] X logo
  app/xphelloworld	- Xprint sample applications
  app/xtrap		- XTrap sample clients

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wasn't sure what these were:
  lib/BUILD
  util/install-check















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