RE: Various notes

["Suhaib Siddiqi" <ssiddiqi at inspirepharm dot com>]

> I have tried the current binaries of XFree86. Here are some notes that
> could help developers make it less frustrating in the future.
>
> Everything has been tested on Windows NT Workstation 4.0 + SP6. It also
> has cygwin1.dll from Cygwin 1.1 in the $PATH (in /bin).
>
> It is very hard to login to ftp://sourceware.cygnus.com/ (as anynomous, of
> course). I had to leave a script that downloaded the files this night.
> There is only one mirror in USA, and the new drivers were not there as of
> yesterday (they are today). IMHO Cygnus/Redhat can afford a better ftp
> server for developers.

That mirror site mirrors only Cygwin/XFree project, but you should be able
to find
Cygwin/xfree at any mirror site which mirrores
sourceware.cygnus.com/pub/cygwin


>
> There are no README files on the ftp server explaining what is what. I
> don't need any clients, because I'm going to login into Linux boxes with
> XDM, but how could I guess that cygwin-xfree-x11r6.4-cygwin-B20.1.tar.bz2
> contains clients? Any reason to use "cygwin" twice in the name? Especially
> frustrating was the fact that Lesstif was there. Why should I download it
> without knowing what is is?

The clients had always been part of X11R6.  I had no intention of breaking
up the old stablish rules.


>
> Similarly, xfree86-bin.tar.bz2 doesn't tell me that it contains both
> servers and the clients. The official XFree86 binaries from
> ftp.xfree86.org have all the servers packaged as separate files.


*bin* means "binaries" fonts mean "fonts" does it not make sense which one
to get?

The project is in beta nd alpha stage.  Therefore there are no hard rules at
the moment
for distributions.


>
> The same applies to the drivers. I don't have M$VC, why should I download
> the sources?


If you do not have MSVC.  That is not an issue.  It is an Open Source
project
and we provide the source code whatever is supply as binaries.  What
compilers
an end-user has or does not is not "relevent".

>
> There are readme files with the drivers but they don't say how to install
> them. I put ntux_ddx.dll to /bin in the hope that it's Ok. By the way,
> only the Debug version seem to work for me. If the Release ntux_ddx.dll is
> in $PATH, test.exe (both versions) exits silently. The same happens if
> ntux_ddx.dll is missing

ntux_ddx.dll and all the others should go in /usr/X11R6/bin,e xcept
xfddx.dll
which is a video drivers...
read mail archive about its installation, for now.


>
> xf_init.exe doesn't warn me that xfddx.dll is not found in the Windows
> system directory. Also I would expect it remind me to reboot.


Feel free to write a Windows installer, it would gladly accepted as long as
you
give use code too...

>
> gcc_tst.exe crashes if it cannot find xf_vfs.dll. Otherwise is works both
> with the Release and Debug versions of xf_vfs.dll.

That is why it is with xf_vfs code... because it links to xf_vfs.dll for
testing it.
If you remove the kernel32.dll from Windows\system32 directory and say
Windows
crashes because it could not find it... would make sense?

>
> No problems with xfddx.dll yet (Ati Mach 64). xfddx.readme.txt says "This
> release of xfddx must be installed manually." Hopefully, this is not
> true. I was using xf_init.exe and it worked.

The readme files are a bit out dated.  Keep in mind I an Peter )( only) are
doing
now the whole work... so help for project is more appreciated then wishes
and comments.


>
> xfmap.readme.txt doesn't even mention how to install xfmap.sys. Hopefully,
> it is not used yet (well, ntux_ddx.readme.txt says that it is)

Yes it is used by the binaries I have.  Read yesterday's announcement...
"that
drivers directory contains new codes which being implemented."

>
> Now the time comes to run the XServer. Xvnc.exe shows a message that it
> could not open /usr/lib/X11/rdb. Why do you configure it this way if RDB
> is in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb.txt? Using "-co" helps, but I could not make
> it find the font "fixed". Probably it cannot decompress fonts, I don't
> know. Also it tends to display every message in a separate window, which
> is highly annoying.


XVnc.exe is in contrib directory.  It had nothing to do with XFRee86 port.
It was
compiled Hans (a contributor) using MSVC and that is the way MSVC compiles
X11R6.x,... that paths become /usr/lib/X11... It is an X11R6.3 from
X consortium issue not XFree86.

>
> XWin.exe dies with the message "no screens found". I could make it work by
> specifying "-screen". Unfortunately, XWin.exe has some problems with
> keyboard. Cursor arrows don't work in rxvt. Ctrl-Alt-Backspace is ignored.
> Color depth 16bpp doesn't work well. Also XWin.exe runs on the full screen
> only and it crashes if I switch to another window from the Task Manager.
> Finally, XWin.exe doesn't seem to use ntux_ddx.dll - shouldn't it go to
> the contrib directory?
>


XWin :0 would start server. period.  XWin is very buggy and had been
mentioned in the mail archives.  If you want relatively "LESS BUGGY"
note the word "LESS". Go to win32-xfree.sourceforge.net.  That is a
DirectX server, though beta and also buggy.


> XntUx.exe also requires "-screen". For most settings it displays some
> garbage and it doesn't accept my input. My NT screen is configured as
> 1024x768x16. I have found that if I run it as "XntUx.exe -screen 0
> 512x768x16" it actually displays a screen 512x768x16 occupying the right
> hand side of the NT screen. But it doesn't accept my input.
>


XntUx.exe is a Framebuffer server.  As I said project is in beta stage
and all the work done by two people now.  So do not expect a professional
support and quick updates of Readme files and URL... unless we have
more contributors.  In the mail archive if you search you may find a message
on how to use it.
Basically if you type

XntUx.exe -help

you get all the options you could use at command line.


> Removing xf_vfs.dll doesn't change anything. If I remove ntux_ddx.dll
> XntUx.exe still runs but it displays nothing. Shouldn't it show a warning?

you are running at 100000 miles speed and attempting to use the drivers
whose code
implementations had not be released to public. xf_vfs.dll is a virtual file
system
and my mail said yesterday, their implementation are being worked. So
xf_vfs.dll would
not do a miracle on your Windows, if the X binmaries you downloaded had no
hooks for it.

Definitely deleteing ntux_dxx.dll would disable framebuffering of the
X-server.. as a result
no display.  If you delete your Mach64.dll from windows\system32 and then
complain to ATI that
Windows display is screwed up... ATI would give you the answer, "you are
wasting
your time"


Suhaib

>
> For your information, here are all the warnings it prints:
>
> C:\usr\X11R6\bin>XntUx.exe -screen 0 512x768x16
> scheduling timer: Invalid argument
> _XSERVTransmkdir: Owner of /tmp/.X11-unix should be set to root
> trying to get pointer to video RAM, size = 001803a0
> ntux_ddx : mapped buffer at 14930000
> pvfb->pXWDHeader = 14930000
> using video memory at 14930000
> screen 0
>
> screenInfo->ScreenPtr[0] = 0a04f770
> CreateWindow = 0045ad30
> DestroyWindow = 0045ad70
> CreatePixmap = 0045a790
> DestroyPixmap = 0045a89c
> PEXExtensionInit: Couldn't open default PEX font file  Roman_M
> error opening security policy file
> /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xserver/SecurityPolicy
>
> After that XntUx.exe runs until I interrupt it.
>
> Regards,
> Pavel Roskin