Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!rws
From: rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Bob Scheifler)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Window sizes in X11R3
Message-ID: <9001101658.AA03153@expire.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 10 Jan 90 16:58:46 GMT
References: <890@ontek.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
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    2)  Windows use "int" for x,y,width,height, at least according to
        the Xlib procedure params and the Window Attribute structures.
        On my Sun 4, ints are 32-bit. Therefore, it would seem that X
        would allow a 2 billion x 2 billion sized window.

No, Xlib "lies" to you for the sake of a "wide type" interface.  The
X protocol also deals in terms of 16-bit quantities.

    3)  Am I insane for wanting such big windows?

I can't attest to your mental condition, :-) but you are asking for trouble
if you use large windows (windows substantially larger than the physical
screen are "large").  Nothing really bad will happen until you overflow
15 bits.  There's no guarantee at this point in time that servers (even
R4) will deal rationally with 15-bit overflow.