repositories / deb_xorg-server.git / blame
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| a09e091a JB |
1 | Xephyr README |
| 2 | ============= | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | What Is It ? | |
| 6 | ============ | |
| 7 | ||
| 8 | Xephyr is a a kdrive server that outputs to a window on a pre-existing | |
| 9 | 'host' X display. Think Xnest but with support for modern extensions | |
| 10 | like composite, damage and randr. | |
| 11 | ||
| 12 | Unlike Xnest which is an X proxy, i.e. limited to the | |
| 13 | capabilities of the host X server, Xephyr is a real X server which | |
| 14 | uses the host X server window as "framebuffer" via fast SHM XImages. | |
| 15 | ||
| 16 | It also has support for 'visually' debugging what the server is | |
| 17 | painting. | |
| 18 | ||
| 19 | ||
| 20 | How To Use | |
| 21 | ========== | |
| 22 | ||
| 23 | You probably want to run like; | |
| 24 | ||
| 25 | Xephyr :1 -ac -screen 800x600 & | |
| 26 | ||
| 27 | Then set DISPLAY=:1 and run whatever X apps you like. | |
| 28 | ||
| 29 | Use 'xrandr' to change to orientation/size. | |
| 30 | ||
| 31 | There is a '-parent' switch which works just like Xnests ( for use | |
| 32 | with things like matchbox-nest - http://matchbox.handhelds.org ). | |
| 33 | ||
| 34 | There is also a '-host-cursor' switch to set 'cursor acceleration' - | |
| 35 | The host's cursor is reused. This is only really there to aid | |
| 36 | debugging by avoiding server paints for the cursor. Performance | |
| 37 | improvement is negiable. | |
| 38 | ||
| 39 | Send a SIGUSR1 to the server ( eg kill -USR1 `pidof Xephyr` ) to | |
| 40 | toggle the debugging mode. In this mode red rectangles are painted to | |
| 41 | screen areas getting painted before painting the actual content. The | |
| 42 | delay between this can be altered by setting a XEPHYR_PAUSE env var to | |
| 43 | a value in micro seconds. | |
| 44 | ||
| 45 | ||
| 46 | Caveats | |
| 47 | ======= | |
| 48 | ||
| 49 | - Depth is limited to being the same as the host. | |
| 50 | *Update* As of 8/11/2004. Xephyr can now do 8bpp & 16bpp | |
| 51 | on 24bpp host. | |
| 52 | ||
| 53 | - Rotated displays are currently updated via full blits. This | |
| 54 | is slower than a normal oprientated display. Debug mode will | |
| 55 | therefor not be of much use rotated. | |
| 56 | ||
| 57 | - The '-host-cursor' cursor is static in its appearence. | |
| 58 | ||
| 59 | - The build gets a warning about 'nanosleep'. I think the various '-D' | |
| 60 | build flags are causing this. I havn't figured as yet how to work | |
| 61 | round it. It doesn't appear to break anything however. | |
| 62 | ||
| 63 | - Keyboard handling is basic but works. | |
| 64 | ||
| 65 | - Mouse button 5 probably wont work. | |
| 66 | ||
| 67 | ||
| 68 | ||
| 69 | ||
| 70 | ||
| 71 | Matthew Allum <mallum@o-hand.com> 2004 | |
| 72 | ||
| 73 |