Now that the default X server for -CURRENT is the xorg server, add this
to the FAQ, as well as a pointer to the instructions for overrding this default if you don't want to switch (or, making the switch if you're on -STABLE; same set of instructions). While here, try to answer various user complaints about the text that I orginally wrote about the switch being both 'too political' and at the same time 'too vague'. I do not believe the rewording will satisfy all concerns, but if you have them, please send them to me off-list. Glanced at by: simon
This commit is contained in:
parent
e52776101d
commit
19b57dd56c
Notes:
svn2git
2020-12-08 03:00:23 +00:00
svn path=/head/; revision=21675
1 changed files with 76 additions and 19 deletions
|
|
@ -7176,13 +7176,13 @@ options SYSVMSG # enable for messaging</programlisting>
|
|||
|
||||
<qandaentry>
|
||||
<question id="which-X">
|
||||
<para>Which X servers are available for &os;?</para>
|
||||
<para>Which X implementations are available for &os;?</para>
|
||||
</question>
|
||||
|
||||
<answer>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>In the past, if you wanted to run X on &os;, you were
|
||||
basically restricted to running an X implementation called
|
||||
<para>Historically, the default implementation of X on
|
||||
&os; has been
|
||||
&xfree86; which is maintained by
|
||||
<ulink url="http://www.xfree86.org">The XFree86 Project,
|
||||
Inc.</ulink> This software was installed by default on
|
||||
|
|
@ -7192,48 +7192,105 @@ options SYSVMSG # enable for messaging</programlisting>
|
|||
platform, as it had suffered greatly from bitrot over
|
||||
the years.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>However, early in 2004, the XFree86 Project split
|
||||
<para>However, early in 2004, some XFree86 developers left
|
||||
that project
|
||||
over issues including the pace of code changes, future
|
||||
directions, and a licensing change. X.org updated its
|
||||
source tree to the last &xfree86; release before the
|
||||
directions, and interpersonal conflicts, and are now contributing
|
||||
code directly to X.org instead. At that time, X.org updated its
|
||||
source tree to the last &xfree86; release before its subsequent
|
||||
licensing change (<application>XFree86 version 4.3.99.903</application>), incorporated
|
||||
many changes that had previously been maintained separately,
|
||||
and has released that software as <application>X11R6.7.0</application>. A separate but
|
||||
related project, <ulink url="http://www.freedesktop.org">
|
||||
freedesktop.org</ulink> (or <literal>fd.o</literal> for short),
|
||||
is working on rearchitecting the original &xfree86; code to
|
||||
reflect modern graphics card technology (with the goal of
|
||||
greatly increased performance) and modern software practices
|
||||
offload more work onto the graphics cards (with the goal of
|
||||
increased performance) and make it more modular
|
||||
(with the goal of incresed maintainability, and thus faster
|
||||
releases as well as easier configuration). X.org intends to
|
||||
incorporate the freedesktop.org changes in its future releases.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<para>The current technology roadmap for &os; includes
|
||||
replacing &xfree86; with freedesktop.org as the default server sometime
|
||||
later in 2004 under the assumption that the pace of its
|
||||
development will more closely match that of &os; itself.
|
||||
The &xfree86; ports
|
||||
<para>As of July 2004, in &os.current;,
|
||||
&xfree86; has been replaced with x.org as the default
|
||||
implementation. The &xfree86; ports
|
||||
(<filename role="package">x11/XFree86-4</filename> and
|
||||
subports) will remain in the ports collection and be supported
|
||||
as developer interest permits.</para>
|
||||
subports) remain in the ports collection and are still
|
||||
the default for &os.stable;.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<note>
|
||||
<para>The above describes the default X implementation installed.
|
||||
It is still possible to install either implementation by
|
||||
following the instructions in the entry for 20040723 in
|
||||
<filename>/usr/ports/UPDATING</filename>.</para>
|
||||
</note>
|
||||
|
||||
<warning>
|
||||
<para>It is not currently
|
||||
possible to mix-and-match pieces of each implementation;
|
||||
work is under way to correct this problem.</para>
|
||||
one must choose one or the other.</para>
|
||||
</warning>
|
||||
|
||||
<note>
|
||||
<para>The following paragraphs refer to the existing
|
||||
<para>The following paragraphs refer to the
|
||||
&xfree86; implementation, but most should also be applicable
|
||||
to the freedesktop.org implementation as well. While the default
|
||||
configuration filename for the freedesktop.org implementation is
|
||||
to the x.org implementation as well. While the default
|
||||
configuration filename for the x.org implementation is
|
||||
<filename>xorg.conf</filename>, it will search for
|
||||
<filename>XF86Config</filename> if it cannot find it.</para>
|
||||
</note>
|
||||
</answer>
|
||||
</qandaentry>
|
||||
|
||||
<qandaentry>
|
||||
<question id="xorg-compatibility">
|
||||
<para>Will my existing applications run with the X.org suite?</para>
|
||||
</question>
|
||||
|
||||
<answer>
|
||||
<para>The X.org software is written to the same X11R6 specification
|
||||
that &xfree86; is, so basic applications should work
|
||||
unchanged. A few lesser-used protocols have been deprecated
|
||||
(<literal>XIE</literal>, <literal>PEX</literal>, and
|
||||
<literal>lbxproxy</literal>), but in the first two cases, the
|
||||
&os; port of &xfree86; did not support them either.</para>
|
||||
</answer>
|
||||
</qandaentry>
|
||||
|
||||
<qandaentry>
|
||||
<question id="xfree86-split">
|
||||
<para>Why did the X projects split, anyway?</para>
|
||||
</question>
|
||||
|
||||
<answer>
|
||||
<para>The answer to this question is outside the scope of
|
||||
this FAQ. Note that there are voluminous postings in various
|
||||
mailing list archives on the Internet; please use your favorite
|
||||
search engine to investigate the history instead of asking this
|
||||
question on the &os; mailing lists. It may even be the case
|
||||
that only the participants will ever know for certain.</para>
|
||||
</answer>
|
||||
</qandaentry>
|
||||
|
||||
<qandaentry>
|
||||
<question id="why-choose-xorg">
|
||||
<para>Why did &os; choose to go with the X.org ports by default?</para>
|
||||
</question>
|
||||
|
||||
<answer>
|
||||
<para>The X.org developers claim that their goal is to release
|
||||
more often and incorporate new features more quickly. If they
|
||||
are able to do so, this will be very attractive. Also, their
|
||||
software still uses the traditional X license, while &xfree86;
|
||||
is now using their modified one.</para>
|
||||
|
||||
<note>
|
||||
<para>This decision is still controversial. Only time will
|
||||
tell which implementation proves technically superior. Each
|
||||
&os; user should decide which they prefer.</para>
|
||||
</note>
|
||||
</answer>
|
||||
</qandaentry>
|
||||
|
||||
<qandaentry>
|
||||
<question id="running-X">
|
||||
<para>I want to run X, how do I go about it?</para>
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Add table
Add a link
Reference in a new issue