[comp.windows.x] Summary of Books About X

marko@mead.UUCP (Mark Osbourne) (12/12/89)

Thank you for all the responses that I received from my query about books on
X and the X Toolkit in particular.  Below is a summary of the responses I
received.  Some book titles are duplicated because different people had 
different things to say. Hope this is of interest.


-- Mark Osbourne    marko@mead.UUCP,  mead!marko@uccba.uc.edu


< 
< Some time back I have asked for a list of X-window manuals, I got quite of
< a list back. I have put some together; there may be some duplicates in
< the list.
< 
< -------------------------------------------------------------------------
< 	_Introduction to the X Window System_ by Oliver Jones, Prentice Hall
< 
< 		Fairly good background to the X protocol
< 		Nice Discussion of Xlib, the X library.
< 
< 	_X Window Systems  Programming and Applications with Xt_,
< 	   Douglas A. Young, Prentice Hall
< 
< 		Reasonable overall background to X protocol, nice introduction
< 		Best general discussion of Xt (widgets/intrinsics) I found
< 		Scarce for Xlib, but it does give what you NEED for widgets
< 
< 	_X Window System  C Library and Protocol Reference_,
< 	   Robert W. Scheifler, James Gettys, and Ron Newman, Digital Press
< 
< 		I've not really READ this one, so I don't know what it
< 		  says overall, but it is a GOOD reference for quick 
< 		  "I want to know this" type things.
< 
< 
< 1.  O'Reilly and Associates (Nutshell Publishing, 1-800-338-NUTS) publish
<     a three-volume set: Xlib Programming Manual, Xlib Reference Manual, and
<     X Window System User's Guide.  I've used them a bit, they're good.
< 
< 2.  Doug Young's book "X Window Systems Programming and Applications".  It
<     covers programming issues.  I have this on order from Derby -- they will
<     get several in when mine comes in, you could call them and reserve one of
<     the copies they will receive (hopefully soon).
< 
< The Young book's title is 
< 
< 	X Window Systems Programming and Applications with Xt
< 
< *X Window System*, by Scheifler, Gettys & Newman, DEC Press
< 	The bible on X, included with the official X11R3 tape from
< 	MIT.  This is the most complete published description of X
< 	programming interface (Xlib) and X protocol, other than the
< 	source code.
< 	Price $55.00      Acknowledge-To: <ENGP9043@NUSVM>
< 	ISBN 1-55558-012-2.  DP order number EY-6737E-DP.  
< 	Address 12 Crosby Drive, Bedford, MA.  c. 1988.
< 
< *Introduction to the X Window System*, by Jones, Prentice-Hall
< 	Not as complete as the above, but includes lots of excellent
< 	material on beginning and advanced X programming techniques.
< 	ISBN 0-13-499997-5 $27.95
< 	
< "the O'Reilly books", by Nye and others, O'Reilly & Associates  $60.00
< 	I - XLIB System Programming manual   ISBN 0-937175-26-9.  
< 	II- XLIB Reference Manual            ISBN 0-937175-27-7.  
< 	III X Window User's Guide	     ISBN 0-937175-29-3.  
< 
<         They do include lots of good "intro to window systems" and
< 	basic user-level stuff, though, so they're good for novice
< 	programmers and non-programmer users.  Call 800-338-NUTS
<     
< "The X Window System: Applications and Programming with Xt" by Douglas Young
< 	this book is supposed to be a fairly comprehensive tutorial on
< 	both Xt and Xlib. *Many* people recommend it.  ISBN
< 	0-13-972167-3 Prentice-Hall ordering is 201-767-5937.
< 
< "X Window Applications Programming" by Johnson and Reichard
< 	ISBN 1-55828-016-2  MIS Press Portland OR (503) 282-5215
<          a *good* book at the C level.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
< Doug Young's "X Window Systems Programming and Applications with Xt",
< Prentice Hall, 1989, is the only decent book on using the Intrinsics
< that I have come accross.  The example programs use a Widget set 
< based on the HP widgets, and not the example toolkit from MIT, but
< they illustrate many of the principles of using widgets very well.
< 
< O'Reilly & Associates is bringing out a volume on the subject early next
< year.  If their other books are anything to go by, this book should be
< excellent.