On Thu, May 03, 2007 at 05:20:08PM -0400, Russ Cox wrote:
+ X11 selections v. PasteboardX11 doesn't have a snarf buffer. Instead it has an idea of which window currently "owns" the snarf (X11 would say `selection'), and when you want to find the snarf contents you go ask the current owner. There is no central buffer like on Plan 9's /dev/snarf or the Windows clipboard. (In addition to making things a lot more complicated, this means that snarf contents do not persist once their owner exits. But that particular problem isn't relevant here.)
As if that weren't bad enough, X11 *also* has central buffers, "cut buffers", which are deprecated, but still used by some apps. And there are 3 selections, PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and CLIPBOARD. Some apps, expecially browsers and Gnome/KDEish apps, tend to use the PRIMARY and CLIPBOARD selections, depending on what you're doing (middle click pastes the PRIMARY, ^V pastes the CLIPBOARD). It's a terrific mess.
But let's not sully this list with X11 insanity any more. -- Kris Maglione If you lived here you'd be home now.
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