jta@lcc.UUCP (08/22/89)
This question is just for curiosity's sake. The XY and Z image formats are named just the opposite of my intuition. What was the rationale or precedent for these names?
rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (08/23/89)
What was the rationale or precedent for these names? It is well known that I am terrible at making up names, and that's being kind. Geez, after all, it *is* called "X". Unfortunately, too many people let me get away with it when X11 was being designed, and you're stuck with it now. I doubt I can give you a rationale for how things were named.
JONESD@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (David Jones) (08/23/89)
Path: quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!rws From: rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU Newsgroups: comp.windows.x Subject: Re: XY and Z formats Message-ID: <8908221949.AA00329@expire.lcs.mit.edu> Date: 22 Aug 89 19:48:59 GMT References: <8908221602.AA2505282@devnet> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 7 > What was the rationale or precedent for these names? > >It is well known that I am terrible at making up names, and that's being kind. >Geez, after all, it *is* called "X". Unfortunately, too many people let me get >away with it when X11 was being designed, and you're stuck with it now. I >doubt I can give you a rationale for how things were named. My guess would have been that the naming of XY versus Z format was a reflection of the fact that the X server loads and unloads the images as streams of bits. If you picture the bit planes of a screen as a 3 dimensional grid, 'Z' format indicates that successive bits in the image represent successive bits in the z direction, i.e. successive bit planes. Likewise, the 'XY' format indicates that successive bits fill successive bits in the x, then y directions. David L. Jones | Phone: (614) 292-6929 Ohio State Unviversity | Internet: 1971 Neil Ave. Rm. 406 | jonesd@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu Columbus, OH 43210 | jones-d@eng.ohio-state.edu Disclaimer: A repudiation of a claim.
jg@max.crl.dec.com (Jim Gettys) (08/29/89)
> What was the rationale or precedent for these names?
And I'm only marginally better at names than Bob. We were too busy
doing rather than worrying about
every last name.
In any case, one person's intuition may be 180 degrees from another....
I remember being flamed at by people (who shall remain nameless) that
WarpPointer was a juvenile
name for that function. They may be right. Then I asked them what they
suggested as the name for that
operation. Dead silence ensued..... No better name emerged....
- Jim