X Power Tools

Although a bit superficial technically speaking X Power Tools pieces together a survey of generally useful X11 knowledge in a quick and easy read. Think of this book as a good place to begin an exploration of X. For those who know next to nothing X11 or windowing systems, and have little experience configuring or running Linux the book is a perfect introduction (5 stars). For those who have a lot of experience configuring or running Linux, who certainly have had to interact with X before, much of this material will already be familiar (3 stars). I fall into the latter category and still found the book useful. Here is a list of the "x" commands on my linux box cross referenced with the book's index. Note this isn't necessarily a complete list and the book is more than just a command reference, as it goes into detail explaining configuration file formats and options. Still this list gives an idea of the scope of the book. x11perf NO x11perfcomp NO xargs NO xauth YES xbiff NO xbmtopbm NO xbsh NO xcalc YES xcam NO xclipboard YES xclock YES xcmsdb YES xconsole NO xcursorgen NO xcutsel NO xdfcopy NO xdfformat NO xdg-desktop-icon NO xdg-desktop-menu NO xdg-email NO xdg-icon-resource NO xdg-mime NO xdg-open NO xdg-screensaver NO xdg-user-dir NO xdg-user-dirs-update NO xditview NO xdpyinfo YES xdriinfo NO xdvi NO xdvi.bin NO xdvi-xaw.bin NO xdvizilla NO xedit NO xev NO xeyes NO xfd YES xfontsel YES xfsinfo NO xft-config NO xgamma YES xgettext NO xhost YES ximtoppm NO xinit YES xinput NO xkbbell NO xkbcomp YES xkbevd NO xkbprint YES xkbvleds NO xkbwatch NO xkill YES xload NO xlogo NO xlsatoms NO xlsclients NO xlsfonts NO xmag YES xman NO xmessage NO xmkmf NO xmodmap YES xmore NO xpcshell-1.9 NO xpmtoppm NO xprop NO xqxdecode NO xrandr YES xrdb NO xrefresh YES xscanimage NO x-session-manager NO xset YES xsetmode NO xsetpointer NO xsetroot YES xsm YES xstdcmap NO xsubpp NO xterm YES x-terminal-emulator NO xtrapchar NO xtrapin NO xtrapinfo NO xtrapout NO xtrapproto NO xtrapreset NO xtrapstats NO xulrunner NO xulrunner-1.9 NO xvidtune NO xvinfo NO xvminitoppm NO xwd YES xwdtopnm NO x-window-manager NO xwininfo YES xwud YES x-www-browser NO xxd NO X Power Tools......Page 1 Table of Contents......Page 4 Part I: The X Server......Page 10 Part IV: Using X Remotely......Page 11 Using Code Examples......Page 12 Safari® Books Online......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Part I......Page 16 1.1 The X Window System......Page 18 1.3 The Renaissance: New X Versus Old X......Page 19 1.5 Seven Layers of an X-based GUI......Page 21 1.7 Why Windows Look and Act Differently......Page 24 1.8 Toolkits and Desktop Environments......Page 25 1.10 Display Hardware......Page 26 Pointing Devices......Page 27 Keyboards......Page 28 Liquid crystal display (LCD)......Page 29 Video timing......Page 30 Monitor connections......Page 31 Video Cards......Page 32 1.11 Displays, Screens, and Xinerama......Page 34 1.12 Display Specifications......Page 35 1.14 Local Connection Mechanisms......Page 36 1.15 Server Extensions......Page 37 1.16 Where to Draw the Line: Kernel Versus User- Space Drivers......Page 39 2.2 Virtual Terminals......Page 40 2.3 Starting a Raw X Server Manually......Page 41 2.4 Using a Display Manager to Start the X Server......Page 42 2.5 Enabling or Disabling the Display Manager at Boot Time......Page 43 Started Directly by init......Page 45 Starting Multiple X Servers Using XDM (or Early Versions of KDM)......Page 46 Starting Multiple X Servers Using GDM......Page 47 2.8 Starting Additional X Servers on Demand Using a Display Manager......Page 48 Starting Additional X Servers Using KDM......Page 49 2.9 Starting an X Server with Clients Only When Needed......Page 50 2.11 Starting X Within X......Page 51 2.12 No Mouse!......Page 52 2.14 Terminating X Automatically......Page 54 3.2 Why Only root Can Configure the X Server......Page 55 3.3 Places Your Configuration Could Hide......Page 56 3.4 Let the X Server Configure Itself......Page 58 3.5 The xorg.conf Configuration File......Page 59 ServerLayout......Page 61 Screen......Page 62 Device......Page 63 3.6 Optional Sections in the xorg.conf Configuration File......Page 64 3.7 Configuring the Pointer Device......Page 66 3.8 Configuring a Two-Button Mouse......Page 67 3.10 Configuring a Synaptics TouchPad......Page 68 3.11 Enabling DPMS......Page 69 3.12 Configuring Video Card Driver Options......Page 71 3.13 LightSteelBlue and Other Color Names......Page 73 3.14 Configuring a Monitor’s Scan Rates......Page 74 3.15 Reading Server Log Files......Page 77 3.16 Configuring the Default Depth of a Screen......Page 79 3.17 Configuring the Resolution of a Screen......Page 80 4.1 Multi-Screen Configuration......Page 82 4.2 Xinerama Configuration......Page 83 4.3 Differences Between Multi-Screen and Xinerama Modes......Page 84 4.4 Positioning Screens......Page 86 4.5 Overlapping Xinerama......Page 87 4.6 Scrolling Virtual Screens and Xinerama......Page 89 4.7 Using Multiple Outputs from One Video Card......Page 92 4.8 Parallel Pointing Devices......Page 94 4.9 Parallel Keyboards......Page 96 GPM Under Linux......Page 98 MOUSED Under FreeBSD......Page 99 5.2 Changing Resolution On-the-Fly......Page 100 5.3 Changing the Resolution and the Screen Size Dynamically......Page 101 5.4 Using the Middle Mouse Button......Page 102 5.5 Using the Clipboard......Page 103 5.7 Keyboard and Mouse Grabs......Page 105 Part II......Page 108 6.1 The Unused Toolbox......Page 110 6.2 Determine the Display Configuration......Page 111 6.3 Getting Window Information......Page 112 6.4 Viewing Server Settings......Page 115 6.5 Control That Bell!......Page 116 6.6 Adjusting the Keyboard Repeat Rate......Page 117 6.7 Adjusting the Mouse Acceleration......Page 118 6.8 Playing with the Lights......Page 119 6.10 Examining Part of the Display in Detail......Page 120 6.11 Script a Screen Dump......Page 122 6.12 Preventing the Screen from Blanking During Presentations......Page 123 6.13 Eye Candy: xscreensaver......Page 124 6.14 Redrawing the Screen......Page 126 7.2 Background Operation......Page 127 7.3 Geometry......Page 128 7.4 Split Personality: Running Nongraphical Applications......Page 130 8.1 X and Desktop Environments......Page 133 8.2 Session Managers......Page 134 8.3 Virtual Desktops......Page 135 8.4 Starting GNOME......Page 138 8.5 Starting KDE......Page 141 8.6 Starting Xfce......Page 143 8.7 Using a Window Manager Alone......Page 144 Part III......Page 148 9.1 RGB and Other Color Systems......Page 150 9.2 Visuals......Page 151 9.3 Gamma......Page 153 9.4 Color Management Systems......Page 155 10.1 Old Fonts Versus New Fonts......Page 157 10.2 Configuring the Font Path......Page 158 10.3 Using a Font Server......Page 160 10.4 Font Names......Page 161 10.5 Installing and Removing Fonts......Page 163 11.1 Client-Side Fonts......Page 165 11.3 Adding and Removing Fonts Using GNOME......Page 166 11.4 Adding and Removing Fonts Using KDE......Page 168 11.5 Fontconfig Font Names......Page 170 11.6 Fontconfig Utilities......Page 171 11.8 Rendering Options......Page 172 12.1 Keyboards and XKB......Page 176 12.3 XKB Components......Page 177 12.4 Selecting an XKB Keymap Using Rules......Page 178 12.5 Using Keyboard Groups......Page 181 12.6 Setting the Keymap in the xorg.conf File......Page 182 12.7 Setting the Keymap from the Command Line......Page 183 12.9 Compiling Keyboard Maps......Page 184 12.10 Viewing or Printing a Keyboard Layout......Page 185 Part IV......Page 188 13.2 Displaying on a Remote Server......Page 190 13.3 Enabling Remote Sessions......Page 191 GDM......Page 192 13.5 Accessing a Remote Session on Any Available Host......Page 193 13.6 Accessing a Remote Session from a List of Available Sessions......Page 194 13.7 The Three Challenges of Remote Access......Page 196 13.8 Host-Based Access Control......Page 197 13.9 xauth and Magic Cookies......Page 198 13.10 The X Security Extension......Page 201 13.11 Low-Bandwidth X (LBX)......Page 202 13.12 X Tunneling with SSH......Page 203 13.13 Using Public Keys with SSH......Page 205 13.14 Using Passphrase Protection of SSH Keys......Page 206 13.15 OpenSSH and the SECURITY Extension......Page 207 14.1 The VNC System......Page 208 14.2 So Many VNC Versions!......Page 209 14.3 Xvnc Basics......Page 210 14.4 The vncserver Script......Page 211 14.5 Using the VNC Viewers......Page 212 14.6 Using Standing VNC Servers......Page 213 14.8 Customizing the VNC Java Applet Web Page......Page 214 14.9 Starting VNC On Demand Using xinetd......Page 217 14.11 Using the Java Applet with On-Demand VNC Servers......Page 219 14.12 Accessing VNC Securely Using SSH......Page 220 14.13 Embedding an X Application in a Web Page......Page 221 14.14 Using KDE and Gnome Remote Desktop Access Tools......Page 225 14.15 Using the VNC Extension to the X.Org Server......Page 227 14.16 Using VNC to Share a Presentation......Page 228 14.17 Bypassing a Firewall......Page 230 Part V......Page 232 15.2 Selecting Kiosk Hardware......Page 234 Keyboard......Page 235 15.3 Configure X for a Kiosk......Page 236 15.4 Controlling the Keyboard......Page 237 15.5 Controlling the Mouse......Page 238 15.6 Starting a Single Fullscreen Application......Page 239 15.7 Network Status Monitoring......Page 240 15.8 Using xscreensaver to Reset a Kiosk......Page 243 15.9 Refining the Kiosk Appearance......Page 244 15.10 Putting It All Together: Scripting a Kiosk......Page 245 15.11 Booting a Kiosk......Page 247 15.12 Creating a Video Wall......Page 248 Index......Page 252 This book puts you in charge of the most flexible and adaptable graphical interface in the computer industry. The X Window System underlies graphical desktops on Linux and Unix systems, and supports advanced features of modern graphics cards. More people use the X Window System than ever before, but there are few books about X in print. X Power Tools fills that hole with the most practical and up-to-date information available. Written in O'Reilly's popular Power Tools format, X Power Tools offers dozens of standalone articles, thoroughly cross-referenced, on useful tools and techniques for using X. This unique inside look at X gives Unix/Linux system administrators, owners of self-administered systems, and power users a lot of useful ways to harness the power of this system effectively. This book: Offers a thorough grounding in X configuration and how the system works Provides the complete ins and outs of changing a desktop's behavior, such as fonts, keyboard settings, and remote security Includes articles on how to take advantage of X's ''network transparency'' -- its ability to display graphical applications on a remote machine Explores intriguing areas such as using multiple monitors, building kiosks, and accessibility Features discussions on X Window innovations and the future of the system X Power Tools covers configuration and use of X, focusing on Linux but also including notes on other operating systems such as Solaris and FreeBSD. Each article in the book gives you insight into X; the entire book gives you a real grasp on this system and what you can do with it.