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Message-ID: <8707282332.AA14212@bellcore>
Date: Tue, 28-Jul-87 19:32:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: bellcore.8707282332.AA14212
Posted: Tue Jul 28 19:32:19 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 30-Jul-87 03:42:42 EDT
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Hello, "x-perts"!						7/28/87
----------------

I have been spending the summer porting X-Windows Version 11 to the IBM PC.
I have been doing a lot of coding and reading of the new X-Window 
documentation, and would like to thank those at MIT Athena for much improved
internal documentation over the previous version of X-Windows (10.4).

However, I still have some questions that the documentation (Definition of the
Porting Layer for the X V11 Sample Server, 7/6/87) does not answer:

	5.1.2 Processing Events.
		I take it the mouse buttons must also be reported through the
		.detail field in xEvent, like keyboard buttons?

	5.1.6 Keyboard Mapping and Keycodes
		I don't understand where this keyboard mapping array is
		stored.  What format?  How should I tell DIX (through
		InitKeyboardDevice()'s map argument?)?  How do I distinguish
		upper glyphs on the keys from lower glyphs (say, on the key
		with the "@" and the "2" glyphs)?  What is a mouse map
		(InitPointerDevice())?  Need more documentation.

	5.2.1 Screen Hardware Requirements
		My screen horiz:vert bits are not 1-to-1.  They're more like 
		3-to-1.  How do I tell DIX when I can only specify
		bitsperinch, regardless of direction?

	5.2.5 Cursor Routines for a Screen
		Does the mfb code handle the cursor display, or will I have
		to use a mouse driver such as the one for the Microsoft Mouse?
		I don't understand RealizeCursor and UnrealizeCursor.  Do
		they also display and undisplay the cursor, for, say, window
		updates?  How does the cursor get turned off for a window
		update?
		Do I need to worry about RecolorCursor for a monochrome port?
		What is CursorLimits supposed to do?  Hypothetical box?

File Name Questions:

	I know you have kept the file names on the X11 source code short,
	but they are not short enough.  The IBM PC can only handle file
	names up to 8 characters long, plus an optional 3 character extention
	(usually .c or .h or .obj or  .doc).

	Filenames such as colormap.h and colormapstruct.h are being truncated
	to 8 characters and cannot be distinquished!!!

	I suggest you modify the file names for the real X11 release so that
	the names have only one dot ".", with the preceeding filename <= 8
	characters, and the succeeding fileextension be <= 3 characters.
	This will help portablilty to operating systems as CP/M, MS-DOS,
	and OS/2.

	Please tell me how you would like the filenames modified.


X-Window Server-Porting Wizards Needed:

	If anyone has ported the X-Window server before, or knows about
	the internals of the server and would be available for technical
	questions, please mail me your name!
	Your helpful advice and knowledge would be very appreciated.


ADthanksVANCE	(thanks In  ADVANCE).  If everything works well, perhaps
I can help get a IBM PC VERSION of X-WINDOWS (server) IN THE X11 RELEASE!


		Michael B. Parker		(MIT Summer Intern Student)
		Bell Communications Research
		444 Hoes Lane,	RRC 4E711
		Piscataway, NJ 08854
		(201) 699-2073
		bellcore!rruxjj!bdt