F.A.Q. for X11 for Mac OS X Beta 2
F.A.Q. for X11 for Mac OS X Beta 2
- Subject: F.A.Q. for X11 for Mac OS X Beta 2
- From: Haroon Sheikh <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 13:41:41 -0800
X11 for Mac OS X Beta 2 has been released. The FAQ at
http://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2001/qa1232.html hasn't been updated
yet, so I'm posting the content of the new F.A.Q. here.
Frequently Asked Questions for X11 for Mac OS X Beta 2
General Information
Q: What is the X Window System (X11) for Mac OS X?
A: X11 for Mac OS X Preview is an implementation of the X Window System
that makes it possible to run X11-based applications in Mac OS X. See
http://www.apple.com/macosx/X11 for more information.
Q: Where can I download X11 for Mac OS X?
A: Please visit http://www.apple.com/macosx/x11 , which contains links
to download both the User install and the SDK (for building X11
applications).
Q: I've installed X11 for Mac OS X, what should I do next?
A: After installing X11, you can activate the X11 server by launching
the X11 application the Applications folder. To find other X11
applications and toolkits, please see resources at the bottom of this
F.A.Q.
Q: Will source for X11 for Mac OS X be released?
A: Yes, the source code for the X11 server is available from the Darwin
(http://developer.apple.com/darwin/) site. To build this source, you
need to have installed the X11LibApple.pkg from the X11 for Mac OS X
Preview. Source code is only available for the X11 server, and not for
the quartz-wm window manager or X11LibApple.pkg.
Q: Which version of XFree86 does X11 for Mac OS X correspond?
A: The current Preview XFree86 4.2.1. We are tracking the progress of
XFree85 4.3 and plan to synchronize with that in a future release.
Eventually, our hope is to merge our changes into the XFree86 source
tree and work directly from that.
Getting Help
Q: How do I file bug reports and request features?
A: Bug reports and feature requests related to X11 for Mac OS X can and
should be filed at http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter . There is a
web interface and e-mail one for those who are web-form adverse. We
suggest writing bugs and feature requests there so things do not get
lost in the shuffle, as you can be sure that the bug report will get to
the team and someone definitely will look at it. Include as much info
as possible such as detailed steps and a good system configuration like
an Apple System Profiler report.
Q: Is there a mailing list?
A: Yes, you can subscribe to the email@hidden mailing list
at http://lists.apple.com/x11-users . This list's main purpose is for
discussions among the X Windows community. Apple monitors the list and
can help answer questions when possible but, doesn't guarantee that
every bug report or feedback sent to the mailing list will be
processed. Use http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter to make sure your
input is processed.
Q: Where is the mailing list archive?
A: The archives are available at
http://lists.apple.com/mhonarc/x11-users for the web archive. Please
note user name and password are required and provided at the archive
web site. You can search the archive from
http://search.lists.apple.com/x11-users .
Technical Questions
Q: Where are things installed?
A: In /Applications/X11.app ,/usr/X11R6 , and /usr/bin/open-x11 . If
you have an existing /etc/X11 it is backed up during installation and a
new one is installed.
Symlinks are also added at /usr/include/X11 and /usr/lib/X11 .
Q: Does X11.app process my ~/.xinitrc ?
You may have a previous installation of X11 or XDarwin with a
pre-existing ~/.xinitrc . The first time you launch X11.app after
installation, it will ask whether to back up your existing ~/.xinitrc
to ~/.xinitrc.old and use the standard /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc. If you
reply no, it will use your existing ~/.xinitrc . If you reply yes, it
will use /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc (the X11 default).
If neither ~/.xinitrc or /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc are present, X11 for
Mac OS X will use hard coded values that launch an xterm and the
quartz-wm window manager.
Q: Does X11 work with a previous installed version of XDarwin?
A: We recommend you back up and move aside your previous installation
of XDarwin and then install X11 for Mac OS X. A few people have been
able to get X11 for Mac OS X and XDarwin to co-exist. See this thread
http://lists.apple.com/mhonarc/x11-users/msg00514.html) for some
suggestions from other users.
Q: I don't see /Applications/X11.app after installing.
A: Make sure you install the X11UserForMacOSX.mkpg (> 40 MBs), not just
the X11SDKForMacOSX.pkg file.
Q: I do not see an xterm startup when launching X11.app .
A: A default xterm will launch if you did a clean install and are using
the standard xinitrc environment. See xinitrc related question above.
Q: How do I copy and paste using X11 for Mac OS X?
A: X11 for Mac OS X allows cut and paste between X11 and native
applications using PRIMARY and PASTEBOARD selections.
You can cut text from X11 applications by selecting the text,
performing a cmd-c or copy operation. You can paste in native Mac OS X
applications as usual using Cmd-V.
Because there is no standard for pasting in X11 applications (some use
middle mouse button, some use control-v, etc.), cmd-v doesn't work for
pasting in X11 applications by design. As a result, the "Paste" menu
item will be grayed out when X11 applications are in focus. You should
use the control-v or the middle mouse button instead for pasting (See
X11 Preferences for emulating a middle mouse button).
The "Paste" menu option will be active when non-X windows are active
within X11.app (e.g., when entering text in the "Customize
Applications" menu item).
A common request has been to make cmd-v work across all X11
applications. This isn't possible without re-writing all X11
applications to standardize on a single approach, which is outside the
domain of X11 for Mac OS X.
Q: Can I run another window manager instead of quartz-wm?
A: Yes, you can. Add a ~/.xinitrc which runs your favorite window
manager instead of quartz-wm.
Q: How do I make copy and paste work with other window managers?
A: Running "quartz-wm --only-proxy" will activate the selection
proxying features, but none of the window management code.
Q: Is there an option for no-click-to-focus for X11 applications?
A: Yes there is a hidden option. From an xterm or terminal execute :
defaults write com.apple.x11 wm_ffm true
Q: How do I run X applications from a Terminal window?
A: You can use the /usr/bin/open-x11 script to launch X applications
from Terminal.
Q: How do I forward remote X displays to my Mac?
A: The best (and safest) way is to simply "ssh -X user@remotehost" from
the initial xterm. X forwarding and your DISPLAY environment variable
on the remote host will automatically be set. Remote host must have X
Forwarding enabled in ssh_config file. MacOSX does not enable this by
default.
Q: How do I set environment for all processes launched by a specific
user?
A: See Technical Q&A QA1067
(http://developer.apple.com/qa/qa2001/qa1067.html).
Q: Why do I need to add full paths to the "X11 Application Menu"?
A: When you use the Applications menu, the environment variables are
the ones that X11.app has inherited from where it was started. So if
you launch X11 from the Finder or Dock, very likely your environment
will be limited. See previous question to set the PATH environment for
all applications include X11.app.
Q: I'm having problem with my international keyboard and with key
mappings?
A: The initial public beta (v0.1) did not support international
keyboards. The second Beta release (v0.2) picks up the keyboard layout
from Mac OS X's Input Menu (enabled from the International preference
pane). This setting is dynamic.
If you wish use the keyboard mappings in /System/Library/Keyboards you
can do so by enabling the following default : " defaults write
com.apple.x11 keymap_file Francais.keymapping " . X11 will pickup the
keyboard mapping when it is restarted.
Q: Why can I not connect to the X Server after a network config change?
It requires a restart of the X server.
A: This is expected behavior in the Xauthority authentication mechanism
which X11 for Mac OS X uses by default. The problem is that Xauth uses
two keys, the ip address and hostname of the system running the X
server. But these keys don't get update if you change the network
configuration. You can disable authentication from the "Security" tab
of X11.app's preferences. Be aware that doing so may create a security
hole.
Q: Do I need a multi-button mouse to use X11 for Mac OS X?
A: No, you can emulate three button mouse by using single button mouse
in combination with keyboard. Multi button mice are supported by
default. See the X11.app Preferences (Input tab) to enable three button
mouse emulation.
Q: What is X11LibApple.pkg and where can I get it?
A: X11LibApple.pkg (also called X11 Lib in the installer) is installed
as part of X11UserForMacOSX.mkpg. The package contains the
/usr/X11R6/include/x-plugin.h header and
/usr/X11R6/lib/libapplexp.dylib. The header and dylib are needed to
build and run the source code for X11 for Mac OS X. The libapplexp
dylib implements the interface, defined in x-plugin.h, between the X11
server and the Quartz window server.
Changes in v0.2:
Added support for Gnome, KDE hints - so all windows will not have
window decoration.
Focused windows were not being checked in the "Window" menu.
Application windows will now cascade instead of piling on top of each
if they do not have an explicit placement policy.
Added /usr/include/X11 and /usr/lib/X11 symlinks.
Added: X11's menu in the Dock now shows a list of X11 windows.
Added support for Copy & Paste working with other window managers.
Running "quartz-wm --only-proxy" will activate the selection proxying
features, but none of the window management code.
Added an option for no-click-to-focus : "defaults write com.apple.x11
wm_ffm true"
Added support for move window events from CodeTek's VirtualDesktop.
Added support to respect the Mac OS X's International keyboard mapping.
This is the default.
Added support for keymappings from /System/Library/Keyboards . This can
be activated using : " defaults write com.apple.x11 keymap_file
Francais.keymapping "
Added support for -iconic . E.g. xterm -iconic now puts the xterm into
the Dock on launch.
Added new preference options to control xauth usage.
Fixed problem where menubar can obscure windows from other window
managers besides quartz-wm.
Fixed problem where iconified windows get de-iconified when traversing
with cmd-backtick.
Fixed problems with "Hide" and "Show" menus not working with X11
windows.
Fixed problem where minimized windows did not appear correctly in the
Dock or the genie effect did not work.
Fixed problem where minimized windows continue to stay in the Dock
after quitting X11.
Fixed problem where quartz-wm ignored PPosition window positions.
Fixed crash when launching xnest.
Fixed crash of window server when moving a large xeyes window.
Fixed problem where cmd-Q was passed to underlying X11 windows.
Fixed crash in fbBlt when clicking on any X window.
Fixed crash in fbPolySegment16 when in Thousands of color Mode.
Fixed problem where quartz-wm looses ConfigureNotifyevents.
Fixed problem where cmd-q while Dock cmd-TAB is highlighting X11.app
kills it.
Fixed wrong install_names for X libs. You may have to recompile your
existing applications.
Fixed locale mechanism so that XIM works.
OpenGL: Fixed garbage when resizing GLX applications such as glxgears.
OpenGL: Disabled vbl syncing for GL applications. Framerates should no
longer be pegged to display frequency.
OpenGL: Fixed crash in hash_table_lookup when launching OpenGL
applications.
Some known issues:
X11 clients do not appear as separate applications in the dock and when
using Command-Tab to move through applications.
A zombie process is created when shutting down X11 and restarting.
Resource usage is minimal though. Work around: log out and log back in.
Cmd-V doesn't work in X11 applications by design - use the paste
paradigm specific to the X11 application. e.g. use middle mouse button
or control-v instead.
OpenGL : off screen rendering is currently not supported.
OpenGL : XInputExtension is not yet implemented. Maya and some GLUT
applications require this extension.
OpenGL : Cannot launch OpenGL applications unless the user is root or
the current logged in user in Mac OS X.
Some known common feature requests:
Ability to route a mouse click to the X11 root window using a modifier
key.
Virtual Desktop facility in X11 or in Mac OS X.
Add the Applications menu to the X11 icon in the Dock. Also associate
shortcuts like Cmd-1 for the first entry, etc.
Resize handle is a square and too big. Make it triangular.
Modify /usr/bin/open-X11 to launch the X server if not running before
launching an X Windows application. Or automatically launch X11 Server
if an X connection is being made.
Some Apple and external resources (contributed by users on
email@hidden):
X11 for Mac OS X
(http://www.apple.com/macosx/x11/)
Darwin
(http://developer.apple.com/darwin/)
OpenDarwin
(http://www.opendarwin.org/projects/darwinports/en/x11.php)
comp.windows.x Frequency Asked Questions (FAQ)
(http://www.faqs.org/faqs/x-faq/part1/preamble.html)
X11 for Mac OS X Unofficial FAQ
(http://www.misplaced.net/fom/X11/)
UNIX tutorial for Beginners
(http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/index.html)
FreeBSD Resource for Newbies
(http://www.freebsd.org/projects/newbies.html)
Fink (Unix Software for you mac)
(http://fink.sourceforge.net/)
Squishywishywoo: delete and backspace keys under X (emacs, xterm)
(http://www.squish.net/docs/delbs.html)
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