XFree86.org: A New Rendering Model for X

“X version 11[SG92] was originally designed and implemented in
1987. In the intervening 13 years, there have been advancements in
both applications and hardware, but the core of the X Window System
has remained largely unchanged. The last major X server
architecture changes were included in X11R4. The last wide-spread
functional enhancement exported by the X server might well be the
Shape extension[Pac89], designed (in the hot tub) at the 1989
Winter Usenix in San Diego.”

“The rise of inexpensive Unix desktop systems in the last
couple of years has led to the development of new user-interface
libraries, which are not well served by the existing X rendering
model. A new 2D rendering model is being developed to serve this
new community of applications. The problem space and proposed
solutions are discussed.“

“While a window system is more than a collection of rendering
routines, the available rendering primitives constrain the
capabilities of applications more than anything else. The X
rendering model was developed to match the abilities of workstation
hardware developed fifteen years ago and has significant
limitations when applied to application development today.”

Complete
Story