RE: Win32 version of XFree86

["Kendall Bennett" <KendallB@scitechsoft.com>]

Hi Suhaib,

> > I noticed your discussion on the XFree86 developer list about an Open
> > Source version of X11 that runs on Win32. Myself and another
> > developer have started looking into this, and it would be useful if
> > we could all cooperate on this.
> 
> Definitely cooperation would be highly appreciated. I am too far
> now :-)  Finished looking at the code almost several months ago.  I
> am down to the point where only devices drivers issues needs to be
> solved either by using NT  DKK or DirectX, then X would be up and
> running. We are not talking of a bit hacky strip down port. 
> Hopefully it would be a 100% Xfree86 port to Win32. I used Cygwin
> B20.1/also recent snapshots, and GCC 2.95. 

Sounds great! I know that Rich Thomson (CC'ed on this email) has been 
looking into this and the work you have done will be a great start to 
this project for both of us. We are planning on doing the server that 
lives on top of DirectX. Rich knows lots about X11 server 
development, but little about DirectX (although he has been reading 
heavily ;-). I know little about X11 server development (other than 
writing chipset drivers in XFree86 which I have done), but lots about 
DirectX. Sounds like you have the stuff to make the build process 
work nicely!

> In addition to Xfree86 developers list, I would suggest could you
> please join us at cygwin-xfree@sourceware.cygnus.com. 

Sure. How do I join this mailing list??

> The X11R6.3, X11R6.4 is available from my webpages at
> http;//siddiqi.webjump.com.
> The Xfree86 patches against Xfree86 3.3.x as well as binaries with
> non-functional server are available at
> ftp;//sourceware.cygnus.com/pub/cygwin/xfree

Great, I will go download them now.

> >It looks like you have done a lot of
> > work already to get XFree86 to build for Win32. Have you done work
> > for X11R6.4 standard code, or just the XFree86 code base?
> 
> All, x11r6.3, x11r6.4 and xfree86 3.3.4 (except the devices
> drivers code that where i need all the help anyone could offer) 

Cool! So you have patched sources for raw X11R6.4? I know that is 
what Rich was starting to work on, although we want to build it all 
with Microsoft Visual C++ and Borland C++ instead of Gygwin. Have you 
done any work to get these compilers to work at all?

> PS: I am cc'ing to our cygwin-xfree mailing list for other users
> info. I hope it is Ok with you. 

Sure.

Regards,


+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|   SciTech Software - Building Truly Plug'n'Play Software!     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| Kendall Bennett          | Email: KendallB@scitechsoft.com    |
| Director of Engineering  | Phone: (530) 894 8400              |
| SciTech Software, Inc.   | Fax  : (530) 894 9069              |
| 505 Wall Street          | ftp  : ftp.scitechsoft.com         |
| Chico, CA 95928, USA     | www  : http://www.scitechsoft.com  |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+