Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Crust another try to replace X?
2. Why not just contribute to Berlin instead?
3. How is Crust different from [Berlin, X11]
4. Will crust be network transparent?
5. Will I be able to run X applications?
6. Is this a CoreGraphics clone?
7. GNU/Hurd + Crust + GNUstep = Aqua?

Is Crust another try to replace X?

I guess so.

Why not just contribute to Berlin instead?

The main reason is becouse I want to learn every aspect of creating a windowing system.

How is Crust different from [Berlin, X11]

I really don't know that much about Berlin, except that they take a very different approach than Crust. In berlin almost everything is handled in the server. This to increase the network transparency. Crust does the total opposite - it tries to put as much as possible in the client (i.e., in the client library).

When it comes to X: it has too many levels between the user and the hardware, which creates a lot of overhead. For example, look at the Gnome program-to-hardware interface:

1. Device Drivers -- Handle keyboard and mouse input.
2. X server -- Handles graphical screen output and obfuscates keyboard and mouse,
3. Xlib -- A horrendously complex library for basic windowed graphics,
4. Gimp Drawing Kit -- Quarantines the atrocious Xlib within a wrapper library.
5. Gimp ToolKit -- Provides a set of widgets, or user interface elements, like text boxes, buttons, scrollbars, etc.
6. Gnome -- Provides internationalization, audio support, the Gnome panel, standard keybindings, standard icons, etc.

I will try to decrease this the number of levels to three. (levels one and two are so tightly connected that they can be counted as one).

1. Device drivers -- Handles graphic acceleration and framebuffer
2. Surface server -- Handles onscreen surfaces
3. Surface client library -- Provides drawing primitives, working on surfaces.
4. Client library (for example GNUstep).

Will crust be network transparent?

No, not for native Crust applications. (See next question as well).

Will I be able to run X applications?

No, not really. But I have some ideas on implementing a rootless X-server that will make this possible. This will also add some form of network transparency.

Is this a CoreGraphics clone?

No!

GNU/Hurd + Crust + GNUstep = Aqua?

No!

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Updated: 06 Sep 2001 jrydberg