X compression techniques (was Re: VNC server based on kdrive using damage extension?)

[Egbert Eich]

Mike A. Harris writes:
 > 
 > Should the software become relicensed to be MIT/X11 compatible 
 > license, then it would be much more valuable from the perspective 
 > of an X developer looking to improve the X server, etc.  If 
 > they're willing to relicense the code, then that is great news.
 > 
I'd think it should work the other way around.
If we find parts of the code interesting to be integrated in
X itself we should discuss if it can be relicensed.
If we find that this element of the X wire communication
best lives inside a proxy there is not need to relicense
it as in this case the license is irrelevant.

 > 
 > I'm not hostile towards NX itself, nor it's developers, and if it 
 > has appeared that way to anyone, then I hope my intentions are 
 > clarified by this message.

OK.

 > 
 > However, on several occasions both in email and IRC I have had 
 > non-developer end users come into develmental discussions asking 
 > why we don't just use NX, and that irritates me, because we are 
 > developers trying to improve X.  We don't improve X by just using 
 > some other pre-existing software, however non-developer types 
 > just don't seem to "get" what our goals are.  Afterall, we could 
 > just disable the TCP transport entirely in X and just use VNC, or 
 > some other solution.  The fact we're not doing so indicates that 
 > we all believe that there are other options available, and that 
 > there are other paths we can take to work on a better solution in 
 > X in the future.

We often disable the TCP transport in X as for most situations we
tunnel it thru ssh. X's network capability doesn't exist because
it has a TCP layer but because there is a protocol and certain
features inside the protocol that make it (more or less) feasable
across a wire. If there was just an ABI it wouldn't be network
transparent. Most solutions (also NX) take advantage of this 
'network transparency'. It just uses a more efficient transport
methods across some parts of the wire.
In cases where a network transparency doesn't exist you have to
implement this into a 'driver' on a very low level.

 > 
 > NX seems like wonderful technology, and so if it could be
 > relicensed to be compatible with the MIT license then it would be 
 > something useable inside X potentially, and any of my voiced 
 > opinions about it from an X11 developmental viewpoint more or 
 > less become null and void.

Right.
 > 
 > Apologies if I have seemed overly hostile in the discussion, as I 
 > do often get a bit short with end users who try to fit into 
 > developmental discussions without understanding things from a 
 > developer viewpoint.
 > 
 Thank you.

Egbert.