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XFree86 Technical Conference — Abstract
XCB: An X Protocol C Binding
Bart Massey, Jamey Sharp, Computer Science Department, Portland State University
Abstract
The standard X Window System binding for the C
programming language, Xlib, is a very successful
piece of software across a wide range of applica-tions.
However, for many modern uses, Xlib is not
an ideal fit: its size, complexity, difficulty of ex-tension
and synchronous interface are particularly
problematic.
The XCB ÒX Protocol C BindingÓ, currently under
development, is a response to these and other con-cerns.
XCB is intended to be a simpler and more
direct binding of protocol objects to C functions;
careful design of the XCB API and internal data
structures and thorough modularization provides a
solution that is size and time efficient, maintain-able,
easy to use both by single-threaded and multi-threaded
applications and easily extensible. Some
features of Xlib have been sacrificed in achieving
these goals, notably i18n support and convenience
buffering and caching features, but the cost will
likely be worth it for toolkit developers and for
those looking to write specialized applications lay-ered
atop the XCB API.
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