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Message-ID: <3B36564E.9020907@ece.gatech.edu>
Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 17:06:22 -0400
From: "Charles S. Wilson" <cwilson AT ece DOT gatech DOT edu>
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To: "David A. Cobb" <superbiskit AT home DOT com>
CC: Max Bowsher <cygwin AT bowshernet DOT freeserve DOT co DOT uk>,
        Cygwin General MailList <cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
Subject: Re: RXVT: Launching the root window/login shell
References: <5 DOT 1 DOT 0 DOT 14 DOT 0 DOT 20010620123032 DOT 022e1ec0 AT mail> <5 DOT 1 DOT 0 DOT 14 DOT 0 DOT 20010622215511 DOT 04905b60 AT mail> <5 DOT 1 DOT 0 DOT 14 DOT 0 DOT 20010624163421 DOT 06520a40 AT mail>
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Ummm...guys.  Did anybody bother to read /usr/doc/Cygwin/rxvt-*.README ? 
  Or search the recent archives concerning rxvt?

Steve O. originally ported rxvt to native windows.  Also, there was an 
existing port of libXpm (which rxvt optionally uses) to Windows.  This 
Xpm port used a "fake" X11 library that (a) worked with the native 
Windows windowing environment (no Xserver required), and (b) provided 
--just enough-- of the Xlib calls to satisfy libXpm.  Steve's initial 
port of rxvt did NOT use libXpm at all (he eliminated all dependency on X).

Okay, so then Steve got clever.  He used the Windows libXpm port's fake 
"X" lib, rewrote parts of it as a wrapper, built his own libXpm that 
used his new "W" lib, and then built a new rxvt that used his new libXpm 
and "W" libs.  When he put all this together, he got an rxvt that
   (a) could run on Native Windows without needing an Xserver
   (b) could also run in "X" mode with an Xserver if desired
This magic was performed by the "W" lib (remember, "W" is Steve's 
modified version of the fake Xlib that came with libXpm).  Depending on 
the value of the DISPLAY variable, "W" uses the fake Xlib calls (and 
thus runs in "native" mode, or "W" uses *real* Xlib calls (and thus runs 
in "X" mode and requires an Xserver.

I probably got a few details wrong, but that's the basic idea.  For more 
infom: use the source, luke.

--Chuck


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