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Introduction to XFree86 4.x

Chris Houser (chouser@gentoo.org), UNIX programmer

Chris Houser, known to his friends as "Chouser", has been a UNIX proponent since 1994 when he became the computer science network administrator at Taylor University in Indiana, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Since then, he has gone on to work in Web application programming, user interface design, professional video software support, and now Tru64 UNIX device driver programming at Compaq. He has also contributed to various free software projects, most recently to Gentoo Linux. He lives with his wife and two cats in New Hampshire.

Chris welcomes your questions and comments on this tutorial. You can reach him by e-mail at chouser@gentoo.org.

Summary:  This tutorial shows you how to get XFree86 4.x, the standard free X server for Linux®, up and running on your system. Chris Houser steps you through the process of getting X configured to work properly with your hardware, and getting X running using your preferred resolution and color depth.

Date:  31 Oct 2001
Level:  Introductory
PDF:  A4 and Letter (75 KB | 21 pages)Get Adobe® Reader®

Activity:  6710 views
Comments:  

Before you start

About this tutorial

Perhaps you installed XFree86 4.0 (or later) and didn't know what to do next. Or perhaps you tried running X and saw nothing but a screen full of black-and-white stipple. Or quite possibly, you have X running okay, but you're sure your video card is capable of more colors or higher resolutions. In any of these cases, you've come to the right place. First, we'll get the XFree86 X server up and running for your particular video card and monitor. Then we'll cover all your personal configuration options, those little things that make your desktop feel like home.

In this tutorial, Chris Houser shows you how to get XFree86 4.x, the standard free X server for Linux, up and running on your system. Chris steps you through the process of getting X configured to work properly with your hardware, and getting X running using your preferred resolution and color depth.

In addition, Chris covers X usage fundamentals, including running X applications remotely, securing X, and configuring X applications using the X resource database. He also shows you how to launch your preferred window manager, desktop environment, and applications at Xfree86 startup. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have an excellent grasp of XFree86 fundamentals, and will be ready to put XFree86's many capabilities to productive use.

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static.content.url=http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/js/artrating/
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TutorialTitle=Introduction to XFree86 4.x
publish-date=10312001
author1-email=chouser@gentoo.org
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