Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!ames!umix!oxtrap!rich
From: rich@oxtrap.UUCP (K. Richard Magill)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: X on 3b1
Message-ID: <2422@oxtrap.UUCP>
Date: 24 Dec 87 05:52:28 GMT
Reply-To: rich@oxtrap.UUCP
Organization: Oxford, Ann Arbor
Lines: 34

I keep looking at the portable X11 server and thinking...  With gcc up
on 3b1...  including the most common library functions from
berkeley...  It really wouldn't take much work to port.  But I have a
few questions.

I think I know enough about device drivers to replace the oh so
limitting /dev/window, and friends but I don't have the tech specs for
3b1 to tell me how to get to the display, the raw keyboard, etc.

1) Can anyone tell me whether the tech manual, the $n00 one, will give
me this stuff?  eg, is it worth $n00?

2) Can anyone provide this information?  eg, addresses, techniques,
sample code?

3) Would anyone be willing to provide more generally useful drivers?
eg, make it possible to provide a meta key, give me back those slk,
and screen manager pixels, make it possible to remove most of the old
drivers.

4) Has any of this been done already?

5) Anyone want to help?

Note that this would be only a native server with native clients as
the 3b1 has no networks to speak of.  Note also that the screen size
and resolution don't approach that of the typical X service machines.
Note also that the 3b1 is *cheap*.  Note finally that the window and
font packages and services, as provided, stink.

I use mine mostly as a gnuemacs machine with occasional mail service.
X would make a big difference in this boxes usability.

rich.