Development - XWin Server

Contributions to the XWin Server are more than welcome.

Source Code from Cygwin's setup

Use Cygwin's setup to install the xorg-server package, and select the 'src' checkbox to install the source code. This source code is the upstream X.Org source code with multiple patches applied, and is known to build and function on Cygwin, so this should be the starting point for those wishing to work with the source code.

Source Code

See the Cygwin/X Contributor's Guide for information on obtaining the Cygwin/X server source code and also compilation tutorials, compilation tips, expected build times, overviews of the technologies involved, and a full bibliography.

Getting Started

• View the XWin Server code in the X.org git tree under hw/xwin/
• Install Cygwin and Cygwin/X using Cygwin's setup. The Cygwin/X User's Guide may be helpful.
• Get and build the latest X.org source tree, using the instructions above.
• You're going to need an editor that is capable of handling UNIX-style end-of-line characters on a Windows machine. Any of the editors available via Cygwin's setup should do this, for example emacs and nedit.
• Refer to Definition of the Porting Layer for X v11 Sample Server for an overview of the structure of the X server code and the DIX/DDX separation.
• Refer to X.Org developer documentation and X11 protocol specifications (Various versions of this have been published in book form).
• Refer to ICCCM and EWMH specifications for details of client-client interactions used by window managers and other desktop environment utilities.
• Refer to MSDN Library Online for documentation on Windows native APIs used e.g. DirectDraw, etc.
• Read the cygwin mailing list and post your contributions.