epb@ux1.lbl.gov (EPB Group) (02/05/89)
After we FINALLY got X to run on one of our color vaxstation 2000s running Ultrix 2.3 (which required the new sg.o from expo), and successfully the running DECwindows server on Ultrix 3.0 on the other vaxstation, we were frustrated to find that the MIT X server (11.3) would do some crazy things with the mouse under Ultrix 3.0. We were resigned to running the DECwindows server when I happened, one day to compile a client under 3.0, and it couldn't open the display! Well, the Xlib had been compiled under 2.3, and after recompiling Xlib with 3.0 the client worked again. Aha! After recompiling the (MIT) server with 3.0 it worked beautifully on the 3.0 Ultrix! DEC has done something to the C library to create certain incompatibilities between 2.3 and 3.0. The strange thing was that we were always running X clients (non-DEC) that had been compiled with 2.0, with the DEC server, and they worked fine, except for a strange behaviour with bitmaps. In the twm window manager, the bitmaps making up the title bar area were shifted as though there was a bit-order, or byte order incompatibility with MIT X. After getting the MIT server to run, of course, they were fine. One final note: Under DECwindows, if you set the background color with xsetroot to any color other than grey(gray), when you log out, it takes FOREVER (3-5 MINUTES) for the server to re-initialize itself. With MIT X server there is no problem. You get a new login window in 3-6 SECONDS. Fredrick Avolio of DEC has replied that he has noticed this problem and will submit an SPR after researching it furter. Again, there is not this problem with the MIT server. I hope this helps anyone else trying to run on vaxstations. Brian Smith Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory bsvmith@lbl.gov