README for XFree86® &relvers; <author>The XFree86 Project, Inc <date>16 March 2005 <ident> $XFree86: xc/programs/Xserver/hw/xfree86/doc/sgml/README.sgml,v 3.148 2005/03/17 01:11:56 dawes Exp $ </ident> <abstract> XFree86(R) is an Open Source version of the X Window System that supports many UNIX(R) and UNIX-like operating systems (such as Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Solaris) on Intel and other platforms. This version is compatible with X11R6.6. </abstract> <toc> <sect>What is XFree86 &relvers;? <![ %updaterel [ XFree86 &relvers; is the &whichupdaterel; update to &fullrelvers;, the &whichfullrel; full release in the <![ %earlyrel; [new]]> XFree86 4.x series. Update releases are taken from a stable/maintenance branch. They are designed to be installed on top of the full release that they are updating. They contain fixes for serious problems, most commonly fixes for security issues, fixes for driver bugs, and fixes that improve stability. ]]> <![ %fullrel [ XFree86 &relvers; is the &whichfullrel; full release in the <![ %earlyrel; [new]]> XFree86 4.x series. ]]> <![ %snapshot [ XFree86 &relvers; is a pre-release snapshot of XFree86 &fullrelvers;. <![ %relcandidate [ This snapshot is release candidate &rcnum; for version &fullrelvers;. ]]> Pre-release snapshots are provided for beta testing. You should only install snapshots if you are comfortable dealing with possibly unstable beta-level software. If you find problems with this snapshot, you are encouraged to report your findings to the public XFree86 mailing list: <email>devel@XFree86.org</email>. <![ %relcandidate [ XFree86 &relvers; is a feature-complete snapshot of XFree86 &fullrelvers;. ]]> ]]> XFree86 4.x is the current XFree86 release series. The first release in this series was in early 2000. The core of XFree86 4.x is a modular X server. <![ %fullrel [The &relvers; version is a new release that includes additional hardware support, functional enhancements and bug fixes.]]> <![ %haverelnotes [ Specific release enhancements can be viewed in the <htmlurl name="Release Notes" url="RELNOTES.html">. ]]> Most modern PC video hardware is supported in XFree86 &relvers;, and most PC video hardware that isn't supported explicitly can be used with the "vesa" driver. The <htmlurl name="Release Notes" url="RELNOTES4.html"> has a table showing the drivers provided with XFree86 &relvers;, and links to related documentation. XFree86® is produced by The XFree86 Project, Inc through the work of a group of volunteer independent developers. The XFree86 Project is a non-commercial organisation and XFree86 would not exist without the invaluable development contributions of volunteers from around the world. XFree86 is a registered trademark of The XFree86 Project, Inc. <![ %snapshot [ <sect>Redistribution of Snapshots While the XFree86 <htmlurl name="License" url="LICENSE.html"> doesn't prohibit vendors and others redistributing binaries of this snapshot release, we don't recommend including them in production releases. ]]> <sect>Licensing XFree86 source code is covered by many licenses. All of these licenses have in common the fact that they do not impose significant conditions on the modification or redistribution or either source code or binaries beyond requiring one or more of the following: <enum> <item>Copyright and/or license notices are left intact. <item>Copyright and/or license notices are reproduced verbatim in documentation accompanying binary distributions. <item>Attributions are included with documentation accompanying binaries. </enum> Most of these licenses are based on the MIT, X Consortium, or BSD (original and revised) licenses. All of them are consistent with the <htmlurl name="Open Source Definition" url="http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php">, and most are consistent with the Free Software Foundation's <htmlurl name="Free Software Definition" url="http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">. Copyright and Licensing information for XFree86, including the reproduction of copyright and/or license notices and attributions required by some of the licenses for binary distributions, can be found in the <htmlurl name="License Document" url="LICENSE.html">. If you find any omissions in that document, please contact us with details at <email>bod@XFree86.org</email>. <sect>Pointers to additional information <![ %docsonline [ The documentation for this release can be found online at the <url name="XFree86 web site" url="http://www.xfree86.org/&relvers;/">. ]]> Documentation for the latest release version can always be found <url name="here" url="http://www.xfree86.org/current/"><![ %docsonline [, and documentation for the latest pre-release snapshot can be found <url name="here" url="http://www.xfree86.org/snapshot/">]]>. Information about binary distributions and the attendant installation instructions can be found in the <htmlurl name="Installation Document" url="Install.html">. The XFree86 version numbering system (including historical information) can be found in the <htmlurl name="Versions Document" url="Versions.html">. Additional information may be available at the <url name="XFree86 web site" url="http://www.xfree86.org/">, and pointers to other information are available at the <url name="XFree86 support page" url="http://www.xfree86.org/sos/">. <sect>The Public Mailing Lists Current information about the XFree86 public mailing lists can be found at our <url name="web site" url="http://www.xfree86.org/sos/lists.html">. <sect1>CVS Commit For those who want to see what has been committed recently to our CVS repository 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 happens. <sect1>Devel This list is available for discussions about XFree86 development and for following up well-defined bug reports. Many experienced XFree86 developers are present on this list. <sect1>XFree86 This list is available for any discussions and questions related to XFree86. Support related questions should be sent here. Many experienced XFree86 developers monitor this list. <sect1>Forum This list is available for high level discussions about XFree86 and related technologies, their future, and for inter-project communication. <sect>Contributing to XFree86 If you have any new work or enhancements/bug fixes for existing work, please submit them to <email>patch@XFree86.org</email> or to our <url name="bug tracking system" url="http://bugs.xfree86.org/">. This will ensure that they are reviewed for inclusion in future releases. New works should be discussed on our <email>devel@XFree86.org</email> list prior to submission. Current information about the XFree86 development process can be found at our <url name="web site" url="http://www.xfree86.org/developer/">. <sect>How to get XFree86 &relvers; <![ %snapshot; [ <![ %havebindist; [ XFree86 &relvers; can be found at the <url name="XFree86 ftp server" url="ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/snapshots/&relvers;/">, and at mirrors of this server. This snapshot is available primarily in binary form for several popular platforms. ]]> ]]> <![ %release; [ XFree86 &relvers; can be found at the <url name="XFree86 ftp server" url="ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/&relvers;/">, and at mirrors of this server. Information about obtaining and installing binary distributions of this release can be found in the <htmlurl name="Installation Document" url="Install.html">. Information about obtaining the release in source form is given below. ]]> <![ %updaterel; [ The source for version &relvers; is available as a patch relative to &prevrelvers;. The patch file is <tt>&prevrelvers;-&relvers;.diff.gz</tt>. The patch should be applied to a clean &prevrelvers; source tree, working from the directory containing the <tt>xc/</tt> directory. The patch should be applied by running: <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < &prevrelvers;-&relvers;.diff.gz | patch -p0 -E </verb></tscreen> Information about getting the source for &prevrelvers can be found in the README file for that version, which can be found on the <url name="XFree86 web site" url="http://www.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/&prevrelvers;/README.html">. ]]> <![ %fullrel [ The source for version &fullrelvers; is split into seven tarballs: <tscreen><verb> XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-1.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-2.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-3.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-4.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-5.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-6.tgz XFree86-&fullrelvers;-src-7.tgz </verb></tscreen> The first three contain everything except the fonts and general X11 documentation. Those three are sufficient for building XFree86 if you already have a set of fonts. The fourth and fifth contain the fonts. The sixth contains the source for the general X11 documentation. The seventh contains the general X11 documentation in hardcopy format. <![ %onediff; [ A source patch relative to version &prevfullrelvers; is also available. The patch file is <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff.gz</tt>. <![ %difftar; [ There is also a tarball that contains some files that have components that can't be included in a diff. It is <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz</tt>. ]]> The patch should be applied to a clean &prevfullrelvers; source tree, working from the directory containing the <tt>xc/</tt> directory. The patch should be applied by running: <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff.gz | patch -p0 -E </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz | tar vxf - </verb></tscreen> ]]> ]]> <![ %twodiffs; [ A source patch relative to version &prevfullrelvers; is also available. Because of its size, it is split into two parts. The patch files are <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz</tt> and <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz</tt>. <![ %difftar; [ There is also a tarball that contains some files that have components that can't be included in a diff. It is <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz</tt>. ]]> These patches should be applied to a clean &prevfullrelvers; source tree, working from the directory containing the <tt>xc/</tt> directory. The patches should be applied by running: <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz | patch -p0 -E </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz | tar vxf - </verb></tscreen> ]]> ]]> <![ %threediffs; [ A source patch relative to version &prevfullrelvers; is also available. Because of its size, it is split into three parts. The patch files are: <tscreen><verb> XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff3.gz </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ There is also a tarball that contains some files that have components that can't be included in a diff. It is <tt>XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz</tt>. ]]> These patches should be applied to a clean &prevfullrelvers; source tree, working from the directory containing the <tt>xc/</tt> directory. The patches should be applied by running: <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff3.gz | patch -p0 -E </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz | tar vxf - </verb></tscreen> ]]> ]]> <![ %fourdiffs; [ A source patch relative to version &prevfullrelvers; is also available. Because of its size, it is split into four parts. The patch files are: <tscreen><verb> XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff3.gz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff4.gz </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ There is also a tarball and a cleanup script that handle files that have components that can't be included in a diff. These are: <tscreen><verb> XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-cleanup.sh </verb></tscreen> ]]> These patches should be applied to a clean &prevfullrelvers; source tree, working from the directory containing the <tt>xc/</tt> directory. The patches should be applied by running: <tscreen><verb> gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff1.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff2.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff3.gz | patch -p0 -E gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;.diff4.gz | patch -p0 -E </verb></tscreen> <![ %difftar; [ <tscreen><verb> sh XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-cleanup.sh gzip -d < XFree86-&prevfullrelvers;-&fullrelvers;-diff0.tgz | tar vxf - </verb></tscreen> ]]> ]]>  To format the XFree86 documentation use the latest version of our doctools package available from the XFree86 CVS repository's "doctools" module, and from our <url name="ftp site" url="ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/misc/doctools-&doctoolsvers;.tgz">. ]]>  The XFree86 source code for this and all releases/snapshots as well as development versions can also be accessed via the XFree86 CVS repository. Information about accessing this can be found at the <url name="CVS page" url="http://www.xfree86.org/cvs/"> on our web site. It's also possible to browse the XFree86 CVS repository at our <url name="CVSWeb server" url="http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/">. The CVS tag for this version is "&reltag;". <![ %notsnapshot [ The CVS tag for the stable branch for this release is "&relbranchtag;". ]]> To check out the latest development version, don't specify any tag. <sect>Reporting Bugs Bugs should be reported to <email>XFree86@XFree86.org</email>. Before reporting bugs, please check the XFree86 server log file, which can be found at <tt>/var/log/XFree86.0.log</tt> 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. </article>