xorg/ ModuleDescriptions

The X11R7.0 release split the X Window System source tree into many different modules for each application, library, major protocol extensions, and so on. This page lists what all those modules are.

The categories I've broken them into are:

Core X11 runtime
Things every basic desktop system should have to run. You could run specialized/embedded environments with less, but a general purpose desktop should probably have them all.
Core X11 build/development/install
Things you don't need for running X, but need to build the Xorg modular tree, or to build/install additional X software or fonts.
Extended X11 platform
Additional useful utilities that many general purpose desktops will want to have installed, but not everyone will.
Legacy X11 platform
Utilities used in classic X desktops, but which desktops like GNOME and KDE generally provide their own versions of, so you may not need if you plan to exclusively use/support one of those desktops, but would want for users with existing desktop environments. Also, software you may need to build and/or run legacy third-party apps, like apps using Xt-based toolkits like Motif/Xaw or software built with Imakefiles.
Experimental
Stuff which will likely become part of the X Core in the future but isn't quite there yet.
Obsolete/deprecated
Things we shipped in this release to complete the monolith -> modular transition, but don't recommend most people use and which will probably not be included in the future. Suggested replacements are shown for each of these.
Sample/demo/test apps
Primarily useful to developers or people needing to test that various extensions are working properly.

Core X11 runtime

  • app/iceauth - ICE authority file utility
  • app/rgb - X colorname -> RGB mapping database
  • app/sessreg - Register X sessions in system utmp/utmpx databases
  • app/setxkbmap - set the keyboard using the X Keyboard Extension
  • app/smproxy - Session Manager Proxy
  • app/xauth - X authority file utility
  • app/xdpyinfo - display information utility for X
  • app/xev - print contents of X events
  • app/xhost - server access control program for X
  • app/xinit - X Window System initializer (includes startx)
  • app/xkbcomp - compile XKB keyboard description
  • app/xkill - kill a client by its X resource
  • app/xlsatoms - list interned atoms defined on server
  • app/xlsclients - list client applications running on a display
  • app/xlsfonts - list X fonts available on X server
  • app/xmodmap - utility for modifying keymaps and button mappings
  • app/xprop - property displayer for X
  • app/xrandr - primitive command line interface to RandR extension
  • app/xrdb - X server resource database utility
  • app/xrefresh - refresh all or part of an X screen
  • app/xset - user preference utility for X
  • app/xsetmode - set the mode for an X Input device
  • app/xsetpointer - set an X Input device as the main pointer
  • app/xsm - X Session Manager
  • app/xvinfo - Print out X-Video extension adaptor information
  • app/xwininfo - window information utility for X
  • data/bitmaps - standard set of X bitmaps
  • data/cursors - standard set of X cursors
  • lib/FS - X Font Service client library
  • lib/ICE - Inter-Client Exchange library
  • lib/SM - Session Management library
  • lib/X11 - X11 Client library
  • lib/Xau - X Authorization routines
  • lib/Xcomposite - Composite extension
  • lib/Xdamage - Damage extension
  • lib/Xdmcp - X Display Manager Control Protocol routines
  • lib/Xext - common X Extensions library
  • lib/Xfixes - X-Fixes extension
  • lib/Xfont - X font handling library for server & utilities
  • lib/Xfontcache - X-TrueType font cache extension client library
  • lib/Xft - Client side font rendering library
  • lib/Xi - X Input Extension library
  • lib/Xinerama - Xinerama protocol library
  • lib/Xmu - X miscellaneous utility routines
  • lib/Xpm - XPM format pixmap library
  • lib/Xrandr - Xrandr extension library
  • lib/Xrender - RENDER extension library
  • lib/Xv - Xvideo extension library
  • lib/Xxf86misc - XFree86-MISC extension library
  • lib/Xxf86vm - XFree86-VidMode extension library
  • lib/fontenc - font encoding library
  • lib/lbxutil - LBX utility routines
  • lib/xkbfile - XKB file handling routines
  • xserver/xorg - X servers (including Xorg, Xprt, Xvfb, Xnest, & Xdmx)

Platform specific:

  • lib/AppleWM - (MacOS)
  • lib/WindowsWM - (Win32)
  • app/xdriinfo - query configuration information of DRI drivers (DRI-supporting platforms)

Core X11 build/development/install

  • app/bdftopcf - convert X font from Bitmap Distribution Format to Portable Compiled Format
  • app/mkcfm - create summaries of CID font metric files
  • app/mkfontdir - create an index of X font files in a directory
  • app/mkfontscale - create an index of scalable font files for X
  • app/xcursorgen - create an X cursor file from PNG images
  • doc/xorg-sgml-doctools - document format conversion tools for SGML docs
  • lib/xtrans - X Network Transport layer shared code
  • proto/BigReqs
  • proto/Composite - Composite extension header files
  • proto/Damage - Damage extension header files
  • proto/Fixes - X-Fixes extension header files
  • proto/Fontcache - font cache header files
  • proto/Fonts - font library header files
  • proto/GL - GL/GLX (3D) header files
  • proto/Input - Xinput header files
  • proto/KB - XKB (keyboard) extension header files
  • proto/PM - X Proxy Management header files
  • proto/Xinerama
  • proto/Randr
  • proto/Render
  • proto/Resource
  • proto/ScrnSaver - X ScreenSaver extension header files
  • proto/Video
  • proto/X11
  • proto/XCMisc
  • proto/XExt
  • proto/XF86Misc
  • proto/XF86VidMode
  • util/macros - autoconf macros used in X modular configure.ac files

Platform specific:

  • proto/AppleWM - (MacOS)
  • proto/WindowsWM - (Win32)
  • proto/XF86DRI - (DRI-supporting platforms)

Extended X11 platform

  • app/bitmap - XBM format bitmap editor and converter utilities
  • app/scripts (xauth_switch_to_sun-des-1) - Secure RPC (SUN-DES-1) helper script
  • app/xcmsdb - Device Color Characterization utility for X Color Management System
  • app/xfd - display all the characters in an X font
  • app/xfontsel - point and click selection of X11 font names
  • app/xgamma - Alter a monitor's gamma correction through the X server
  • app/xkbprint - print an XKB keyboard description
  • app/xload - system load average display for X
  • app/xmag - magnify parts of the screen
  • app/xpr - print an X window dump from xwd
  • app/xrx - "Broadway"
  • app/xvidtune - video mode tuner for Xorg
  • app/xwd - dump current contents of X window or screen to file
  • app/xwud - display an X window dump from xwd
  • lib/XRes - X Resource extension
  • lib/XScrnSaver - MIT-SCREEN-SAVER extension
  • lib/Xcursor
  • lib/Xtst
  • lib/XvMC
  • lib/Xxf86dga
  • lib/dmx
  • proto/DMX
  • proto/Record
  • proto/XF86BigFont
  • proto/XF86DGA

X Font Server & related tools:

  • app/fslsfonts - list fonts served by X font server
  • app/fstobdf - generate BDF font from X font server
  • app/showfont - show information about X font from font server
  • app/xfs - X Font Server
  • app/xfsinfo - X font server information utility

Platform specific:

  • app/constype - print type of console (SPARC & Sun/3 platforms, plus Solaris x86)

Legacy X11 platform

  • app/luit - Convert terminal i/o from legacy encodings to UTF-8
  • app/oclock - round X clock
  • app/twm - simple window manager
  • app/xbiff - watch mailboxes for new message delivery
  • app/xcalc - scientific calculator for X
  • app/xclipboard - X clipboard manager
  • app/xclock - X clock
  • app/xconsole - monitor system console messages with X
  • app/xditview - display ditroff output
  • app/xdm - X Display Manager / XDMCP server
  • app/xedit - simple text editor for X
  • app/xman - Unix manual page viewer
  • app/xmessage - display a message or query in a window
  • app/xmore - plain text display program for the X Window System
  • app/xsetroot - root window parameter setting utility for X
  • app/xstdcmap - X standard colormap utility
  • lib/Xaw - Athena Widgets toolkit

Xt Toolkit Intrinsics and related software:

  • app/appres - list X application resource database
  • app/editres - dynamic resource editor for X Toolkit applications
  • app/listres - list resources in widgets
  • app/viewres - graphical class/resource browser for Xt
  • lib/Xt - X Toolkit Intrinsics library

X Network Proxies & Remote Start:

(Preferred replacements: ssh and/or NX)

  • app/lbxproxy - Low BandWidth X proxy
  • app/proxymngr - proxy manager service
  • app/rstart - Remote Start client
  • app/xfindproxy - locate proxy services
  • app/xfwp - X Firewall Proxy

Imake build system:

  • util/cf - Imake config files
  • util/imake - Imake utility
  • util/makedepend - makefile dependency listing generator
  • util/xmkmf - Imake helper utility

Experimental

  • app/fonttosfnt - Wrap a bitmap font in a sfnt (TrueType) wrapper

Obsolete/Deprecated

  • app/scripts (xon) - run X command on another system via rsh (Preferred replacement: ssh)
  • app/xmh - X interface to MH mail tools (Preferred replacement: exmh)
  • app/xtrap - XTrap sample clients
  • data/xkbdata - XKB keyboard configuration data (Preferred replacement: xkb-config)
  • lib/oldX - X version 10 backwards compatibility (Preferred replacement: X11!)
  • lib/Xevie - XEvIE extension
  • lib/xkbui
  • lib/XTrap - X Trap extension (Preferred replacement: XTest & RECORD extensions)
  • proto/EvIE - XEvIE extension
  • proto/Trap - X Trap extension (Preferred replacement: XTest & RECORD extensions)
  • proto/XF86Rush

Xprint & related software:

  • app/pclcomp - Compress PCL printer image output files
  • app/xplsprinters - List Xprint printers
  • app/xprehashprinterlist - Rehash list of Xprint printers
  • lib/Xp - Xprint client library
  • lib/XprintAppUtil - Xprint application utility routines
  • lib/XprintUtil - Xprint application utility routines
  • proto/Print - Xprint Protocol

Additionally, several components of X11R6 were deprecated and not brought into the X11R7 modular tree.

Sample/demo/test applications

  • app/beforelight - MIT-SCREEN-SAVER sample
  • app/ico - animate an icosahedron or other polyhedron
  • app/x11perf - simple X server performance benchmarker
  • app/xdbedizzy - DBE sample
  • app/xeyes - follow the mouse/SHAPE extension X demo
  • app/xf86dga - test program for the XFree86-DGA extension
  • app/xgc - X graphics demo
  • app/xkbevd - XKB event daemon demo
  • app/xkbutils - XKB utility demos
  • app/xlogo - Draw (old) X logo
  • app/xphelloworld - Xprint sample applications