Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!zgavva.IMA.ISC.COM!eli
From: eli@zgavva.IMA.ISC.COM (Elias Israel)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: XRebindKeysym and XLookupString considered inefficient (LONG)
Message-ID: <8908282053.AA00708@zgavva.ima.isc.com>
Date: 28 Aug 89 20:53:35 GMT
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 43

First, thanks for the response. This was exactly what I was hoping for.

>You don't have an "R4" tape, you have an alpha release.

Aah. I was misinformed, then. I was told that it was out already.

>That's because you're thinking in terms of modifier bits, while the Xlib
>interface is in terms of modifiers.  For example, the client might well
>want to deal with "Hyper-A", without regard to which modifier bit Hyper
>is assigned to.  I'm not saying a bit-interface doesn't make sense, but
>a keysym-interface also makes sense.

OK. Then if any change is called for, it must preserve this functionality.
I knew I'd miss something.

>    It keeps the list of modifier keysyms that
>    you passed in, even though their only use is to compute the state bits.
>
>No, they are also used if XRefreshKeyboardMapping is called.

Oh, of course. When the keyboard mapping gets changed, you have to
recompute the state bits from the original modifier keysyms. OK,
modifier keysyms have to stay around, at least for the modifier-style
interface that XRebindKeysym currently provides.

>    The parameters of XRebindKeysym should be changed for ease of use.
>
>An incompatible change is not a possibility.  An alternate interface could
>be considered.

Yes, you're right, of course. A bad idea to make everyone have to re-code
their clients. Still, with the exception of XRebindKeysym, all the other
changes could be accommodated without a change in the interface. By adding
a new routine instead of changing XRebindKeysym, it could all be made
backward compatible.

Ideas, Comments, Complaints, Flames?

Elias Israel		   | "Justice, n. A commodity which in more or
Interactive Systems Corp.  | less adulterated condition the State sells
Boston, MA		   | to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance,
..!ima!haddock!eli	   | taxes, and personal service."
			   |     -- Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_