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Re: xterm is a console program?


On Tue, 20 May 2003, Early Ehlinger wrote:
> In other words, on Linux (and the various Unices out there), starting an X
> app does *not* cause a new console to be created.  Said app will re-use its
> parent's console or use /dev/null.  Ergo, the same ought to be made true on
> Windows.

It will always use the parent stdin/stderr/stdout (which might be the console).
On Windows you don't have a parent stdin/stderr/stdout to attach, so Windows
creates them with the console.

> > The evil hack is to include the code into the X11 library. This is the
> last
> > place where I want to see code that detaches the console. The correct
> place
> > is in cygwin1.dll, in the startup code. And this issue should be discussed
> > on the cygwin-devel mailing list.
> 
> I originally thought about it going in cygwin1.dll but dismissed that before
> posting. The reason was that if you put it in cygwin1.dll, then any cygwin
> app would drop its console if launched in this manner, including non-X
> clients like bash.  

This is also wrong for a lot of X11 applications. Just imagine the debug 
nighmare when the user never sees the "Can't connect to display" message
and crys "xterm bombs!!!!! :( Plz Help" 

> That would clearly be Wrong so I suggested having it in
> the X11 client library.  I'm still unconvinced that the X11 client library
> is the appropriate place for this, but I haven't seen any better
> alternatives suggested yet.

There is no general difference between an X11 app and any other cygwin app.
There is also the sshd, which does not need the console but displays it. 

The only suitable place for such a functionality is cygwin1.dll. Maybe with
a compiletime switch to force the program to keep the console (for bash,
mutt ....). But this code does not belong into libX11 and I doubt that any
member of the XFree crew will ever apply such a change to cvs.

bye
	ago
-- 
 Alexander.Gottwald@s1999.tu-chemnitz.de 
 http://www.gotti.org           ICQ: 126018723


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