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by Tim Parker
Most Linux users want to use the X graphical user interface (GUI) distributed as part of the system. The version of X supplied with most Linux software packages is XFree86, which is an implementation of the X Window system developed at MIT. XFree86 is available for several different PC UNIX versions, including Linux, and has been expanded over the more traditional X system to include the wide variety of hardware that is used in PC machines.
There are at least two major releases of XFree86 available with Linux. Some distributions have the slightly older version 2.X, although most now offer the latest 3.X releases. In this chapter, we will look at installing and preliminary configuration of both XFree86 versions, although most of the examples will use the XFree86 3.X versions.
Tip:
It is important that you understand the complete XFree86 installation process before you actually install your software. In some cases, you can cause damage to hardware and the Linux software already installed if you select inappropriate drivers!
XFree86 is a public domain version of the X11 windowing system developed by MIT and now copyright to the MIT Consortium. In keeping with the desire of the developers of Linux to have no copyright code that requires licensing as part of the operating system, XFree86 was developed specifically for the PC architecture. XFree86 works with many PC-based UNIX systems including Linux, although it is not limited to Linux.
There are several versions of XFree86 available, all based on different releases of X. The most commonly used Linux version of XFree86 is release 2.X, which is based on X11 Release 5 (shortened to X11R5 for convenience). The latest versions of XFree86 are release 3.X, which are based on X11 Release 6 (X11R6), the most current version of the X Window system. Bug fixes and minor changes in utilities are often available as incremental version numbers. These can be obtained and loaded over a release of the same number. For example, if you have loaded XFree86 v2.1 and obtain the fix release 2.1.1, it must be loaded over 2.1 and not by itself. The bug fix releases do not contain the complete system—only the updates.
Warning:
Do not use XFree86 version 2.0! It has several critical bugs. Instead, use at least version 2.1 or 2.1.1. Earlier versions (in the 1.X series) are nowhere near as “talented,” stable, and capable as the 2.X and 3.X series, so avoid the earliest releases, too.
A bit of terminology: The official name of the GUI is X. It is often also called X Window or X Windows, although these uses are greatly discouraged. (The latter version smacks of Microsoft’s MS-Windows product.) For the most part, the terms X, X11, XFree86, and X Window can be used interchangeably, but avoid X Windows. It’s a sure method of annoying veteran UNIX users and showing yourself to be either a beginner or boorish!
A few problems arose in the early days of the XFree86 development, primarily because of a lack of information from the official X Consortium (which controls the standards of X). To solve the problem, the XFree86 Project Inc. was founded and became a member of the X Consortium and was thereby granted access to information about new releases well before they were available to the general public. XFree86 is now a trademark of the XFree86 Project Inc.
Many Linux versions of XFree86 contain directories and references to a product called X386. X386 was an earlier version of X11R5 for the PC architecture, and XFree86 retains many of the X386 naming conventions for directories and files. However, X386 and XFree86 are different products and have no connection (other than naming con-ventions).
XFree86 requires at least 8MB of RAM in your machine to operate and a virtual memory of at least 16MB. In other words, with an 8MB RAM machine, you would need a swap space of at least 8MB, although more is highly recommended. If you have 16MB of RAM, you don’t need the swap space although it should be used for safety’s sake, especially if you plan on running memory-hogging applications. If you plan on using X a lot, set up your system to have 32MB of virtual RAM for best performance (preferably at least 16MB RAM and the rest swap space).
Version 2.X of XFree86 can be tweaked to run in 4MB of RAM, although it is a slow process (both tweaking and running) and hence is not recommended. XFree86 version 3.X does not run properly in 4MB (although it can, with a lot of effort, be shoehorned in but then runs so slow as to be useless). XFree86 version 3.X does run in 8MB RAM, although 16MB is preferable. Again, a total of at least 16MB virtual memory is recommended, with 32MB preferable.
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