"Robert W. Current" wrote: > > Nicholas Petreley wrote: > > > > I suppose one could make the case that, if the ISV doesn't want to piss off > > its customers, it should put something on the package like: "Runs on any LSB > > compliant system. Requires XFree86 or an X server to use the GUI interface." > > (Or something less geeky.) > > Yup, that's my point. They will still need to require something more > than the LSB will deliver at that point. And this could be avoided by > just putting a "X compliant LSB" stamp on a full layer of X > computability.
By that logic, you must say that for every app that requires a server: "The ftp client included with Linux requires an ftp server to be useful" "Netscape requires a web server to be useful" "This mail client requires a mail server to be useful" Their point is, there is a good reason to have JUST the X libraries, and not the X server, on a machine. At WPI, where I went to school, they had things called X terminals. These are thin clients that only have enough memory to run an X server. They booted from the network, so there was no disk, and you ran the clients from another machine, that DIDN'T have to have an X server installed on it. These would be one case where it would be useful to ONLY have the X libraries installed. Without the X libraries, the APP can't run. With them, the app can, but you still need an X server (on that or any other machine) to VIEW and USE the app. However, an X server is kind of a misnomer since the server has to be on the machine the USER is using, and it is nice to have it on the same machine. I do not think it should be in the LSB, however, because there are cases (like for instance, my example at WPI) where you don't need to have an X server installed. This discussion (about X being included, not the other points about layers, which I think are good) is getting very annoying, and is basically clogging up my email. It's clear that Dr. Current is in the minority, and I think that since there are so many good arguments why the 2MB X libraries should be installed, can't we just say majority rules? -Steve
