X configuration paradigm, and a proposal

[Erik Harrison]

On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:49:28 -0200, Avi Alkalay <avibrazil at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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.

This will break getconfig, which is the current (poor) answer to the
other half of your proposol - an easy way to card manufacturers to
install info about the card that X.org can use during autoconfig.

getconfig can also (at leat I thought it could the last time I looked
at it) handle info for moniters and could be extended to handle input
devices.

Do you have a solution?

-Erik


> 
> 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
> >
> 
> 
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> 


-- 
-Erik