X configuration paradigm, and a proposal

[Avi Alkalay]

I've been working on X.org source code for a while to make it fetch
its configurations from a key-value pair tree instead of xorg.conf. I
have it ready and running right now on my laptop. To change X
resolution and other options I don't have to "vi" xorg.conf anymore. I
can use the generic GUI for key-value pair editing (similar to
gconf-tool) to preciselly edit X parameters.

It is using Eletktra (http://elektra.sourceforge.net) as the key-value
tree backend, and it works even with the Red Hat Graphical Boot (when
you still don't have services, network and filesystems).
The patch makes the X server look for its configuration keys. If it
doesn't find, default to the xorg.conf file, parse it, convert it to
key-value pairs, and commit to the key database, to not have to use
xorg.conf in the next time. I tested this conversion even with the
most complex xorg.conf scenarios.

I'm cleaning up the source and preparing to release a patch for whom
is interested. Stay tunned.

Regards,
Avi

On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 17:03:44 -0300, Avi Alkalay <avibrazil at gmail.com> wrote:
> Currently is not easy to configure an X server. You have to know the
> xorg.conf configuration file format, and know what to put there.
> 
> So when you buy a new commodity video card, the manufacturer have to
> ask you to edit xorg.conf manually (when he asks...), instead of
> shipping together some program that makes the new configuration
> automatically. I think this happens because the manufacturer doesn't
> want to write an xorg.conf file parser and an editor to insert its
> textual piece in the global configuration file.
> 
> Same for monitors, multi-monitor desktops, special mice, modules,
> screen resolutions (1024x768, 800x600) etc. Everything have to be done
> by hand, or entirely regenerated by some distro-specific script, which
> also makes you loose manually-edited stuff.
> 
> The proposal is to upgrade the way X handles configuration (human
> readable xorg.conf) to some hierarchy of configuration atoms
> represented by key-value pairs. Something similar to GConf, but not
> GConf because this one is not available when X needs to read its
> configurations.
> 
> A key-value pair paradigm will let a video device installer change
> preciselly only the configuration atoms vital to him. The same for a
> monitor, mouse, modules, filepaths, etc.
> And with time, this will make X way more easier to configure, and user-friendly.
> 
> I'd like to hear comments about this.
> 
> Regards,
> Avi
>