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README for XFree86[tm] 4.0.2
The XFree86 Project, Inc
15 December 2000
Abstract
XFree86 is the Open Source port of X.Org's X11R6.4 release that
supports several UNIX(R) and UNIX-like (such as Linux, the BSDs and
Solaris x86) operating systems on Intel and other platforms.
1. What is XFree86 4.0.2?
XFree86 4.0.2 is the third full release in the new XFree86 4 series.
XFree86 release 4 is a major re-design of the basic architectural underpin-
nings of XFree86's implementation of the original X Consortium's X Server.
This re-design allows for a modular interaction between the hardware drivers
and the XFree86 core X server. With 4.x, upgrades to the X server with new
and unsupported hardware can be easily done and installed without undergoing
the previous process of rebuilding an X server. All that is required is
installing the new driver module and updating the configuration file.
The road to XFree86 release 4 began as an architectural concept in mid 1997,
with the serious framework being implemented in code the beginning of 1998.
There were several snapshots on the road to 4.0 which are now part of the 4.0
base release. The 4.0.2 version is an upgrade to 4.0.1, which include more
hardware ports, code enhancements and bug fixes.
Release 4 also included the long-awaited integration of the DRI (Direct Ren-
dering Infrastructure). This upgrade into the code base gives XFree86 the
abilities of accelerated direct 3-D graphics rendering, used widely in games
and other visualization programs.
While some driver available in the old 3.3.x release series have not been
converted over to the 4.x series, those required for most modern video hard-
ware are available. Please check the Driver Status document first to see
whether your hardware is supported before upgrading to the 4.x series.
Specific release enhancements can be viewed in the Release Notes.
The XFree86 version numbering system has had some changes as of the 4.0.2
release. Information about this can be found in the Versions Document.
Information about binary distributions and the attendant installation
instructions can be found in the Installation Document.
Copyright and Licensing information for this release and all XFree86 releases
can be found in the License Document.
2. Joining The Team
2.1 Development
If you would like to work on the development of XFree86 4, either by helping
with the conversion of our older drivers to the new 4.x design, or assisting
in the addition of new drivers or platforms to the code base then send a
request to join the XFree86 development team
<URL:http://www.xfree86.org:/developer.html>. This will give you direct
access to the latest XFree86 related development topics and discussions.
Include in your note, your name, email address, reason for joining (what you
will work on) and, level of expertise (coder, DRI, core, specific driver) and
area of interest.
2.2 Documentation
If instead your interests are on the Documentation side of the Project, or
you want to contribute and are not ready for plunging into the code, you can
join the Documentation Team (those hardy souls responsible for the content
you are reading :-). Amongst the Doc Team's activities are converting our
SGML based documentation into an XML based one and updating and creating
technical documentation used by staff and public. If this sounds interesting
then please send a request to join the XFree86 documentation team
<URL:mailto:signup@xfree86.org>. Include in your note, you name, email
address, reason for joining (what you will work on) and level of expertise
and whether you are interested in the tools or content side of the group.
3. The Public Mailing Lists
3.1 Newbie
For those who are new to XFree86 and want to learn more about our Project we
recommend that you join our Newbie list, located at Public Mailing Lists
<URL:http://www.xfree86.org/mailman/listinfo>, where this and other discus-
sions occur with our senior all-volunteer staff. This is great forum to get
introduced to XFree86 and ask for help on how to set up the XServer or
whether your hardware is supported, and why not?, and make suggestions for
future releases of XFree86. This list is supported by our volunteer staff
who needs to know how you are using and interacting with XFree86 and what is
wrong and could be better. Tell them, they want to know!
3.2 Announce
For those who just want to know the release schedule this is a good list to
join.
3.3 CVS Commit
For those who want to see what has been committed recently to our CVS reposi-
tory this is the list that will show you those updates. This list is updated
dynamically every time the repository is updated after the the commit hap-
pens.
3.4 Xpert
If instead you are the lone developer who is improving XFree86 on an ad hoc
basis for your particular environment (I want to get my mouse or video card
to work), and need a specific question asked then you should go over to our
Xpert list where such questions are raised and answered by our technical
development staff. Remember you do not have to be a member to write fixes to
our code base and if your changes are discrete and self-contained the volume
of developer mail may just be too noisy.
Once your work is finished (coded, debugged and documented) please send your
fix to <fixes@XFree86.org>. This will ensure that they are included in
future releases. And thanks! You make this truly an Open group.
4. How to get XFree86 4.0.2
XFree86 4.0.2 can be found at the XFree86 ftp server
<URL:ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/4.0.2/>, and at mirrors of this
server. Information about obtaining and installing binary distributions of
this release can be found in the Installation Document. Information about
obtaining the release in source form is given below.
The source for version 4.0.2 is split into three tarballs: X402src-1.tgz,
X402src-2.tgz, X402src-3.tgz. The first contains everything except the fonts
and general X11 documentation. It is sufficient for building XFree86 is you
already have a set of fonts. The second contains the fonts and the source
for the general X11 documentation. The third contains the general X11 docu-
mentation in hardcopy format.
A source patch relative to version 4.0.1 is also available. Because of its
size, it is split into four parts. The patch files are 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff1.gz,
4.0.1-4.0.2.diff2.gz, 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff3.gz and 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff4.gz. There
is also a tarball that contains some files that have components that can't be
included in a diff. It is 4.0.2.tgz. These patches should be applied to a
clean 4.0.1 source tree, working from the directory containing the xc/ direc-
tory. The patches should be applied by running:
gzip -d < 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff1.gz | patch -p0 -E
gzip -d < 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff2.gz | patch -p0 -E
gzip -d < 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff3.gz | patch -p0 -E
gzip -d < 4.0.1-4.0.2.diff4.gz | patch -p0 -E
gzip -d < 4.0.2.tgz | tar vxf -
The contrib part of the distribution has been folded into the main source
tree, so a separate contrib tarball is no longer required.
To format the XFree86 documentation use the latest version of our doctools
package available as doctools-1.2.tgz.
5. Reporting Bugs
Bugs should be reported to <XFree86@XFree86.org>. Before reporting bugs,
please check the X server log file, which can be found at
/var/log/XFree86.0.log on most platforms. If you can't resolve the problem
yourself, send the entire log file with your bug report but not the operating
system core dump. Do not edit the log file as our developers use it to
reproduce and debug your problem.
Generated from XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/README.sgml,v 3.113 2001/03/16 22:13:19 dawes Exp $
$XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/README,v 3.111 2001/03/25 05:42:43 tsi Exp $
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