Unix Programming - xorg, window managers & xine.

Author

xorg, window managers & xine.

cashmir

2006-03-12, 5:51 pm

Hi all,

i'm trying to write a window manager for Xorg on linux
and i've got a few questions on that.
It is in a very premature state but i can run some programs with it.

Now, when i run xine( from a menu) it just disappears
and when started in a console, it gives :
xine-xmalloc: error-cannot allocate memory

xine runs fine under kde so, how can a windowmanager cause
that error in a program ?
( i think it can't...)

Furthermore i'm looking for some good info on xorg about
the precise tasks of a window manager
( what do ( or may ) programs expect the wm to do and so....)

Thanks for any suggestions...

cashmir

Ulrich Eckhardt

2006-03-12, 5:51 pm

cashmir wrote:
> i'm trying to write a window manager for Xorg on linux
> and i've got a few questions on that.

That would be one for X11 then...

> It is in a very premature state but i can run some programs with it.
>
> Now, when i run xine( from a menu) it just disappears
> and when started in a console, it gives :
> xine-xmalloc: error-cannot allocate memory
>
> xine runs fine under kde so, how can a windowmanager cause
> that error in a program ?

Get the source and debug it. Or run strace on it. If your WM reports a
bogus screen size (note: I don't know if the windowmanager can do that)
then xine might try to create a screenbuffer that is simply too large and
fail there.

> Furthermore i'm looking for some good info on xorg about
> the precise tasks of a window manager
> ( what do ( or may ) programs expect the wm to do and so....)

You'll probably find more docs when you just refer to the X11 specification
instead of one particular implementation thereof.

Uli

--
http://www.erlenstar.demon.co.uk/unix/

Scott

2006-03-12, 8:47 pm

cashmir wrote:

> Furthermore i'm looking for some good info on xorg about
> the precise tasks of a window manager
> ( what do ( or may ) programs expect the wm to do and so....)

http://tronche.com/gui/x/icccm/

SCoTT.

cashmir

2006-03-13, 5:54 pm

Ulrich Eckhardt wrote:
> cashmir wrote:
>
>
>
> That would be one for X11 then...

yip, that's X11.

>
>
> Get the source and debug it. Or run strace on it. If your WM reports a
> bogus screen size (note: I don't know if the windowmanager can do that)
> then xine might try to create a screenbuffer that is simply too large and
> fail there.

Running strace gives just the same info : malloc didn't succeed.
It isn't a bug in xine but some error of that program i wrote i guess...
i asked here because i can't understand how a windowmanager can cause
a malloc error in a program, which runs fine with all other wm.'s.
i still think it's curious...( and xine still won't run)

>
>
> You'll probably find more docs when you just refer to the X11 specification
> instead of one particular implementation thereof.
>
> Uli
>
hmmm...i used to google on " xorg " as that's what it's called;
using "X11" gives info i didn't see before...
also Scott posted a nice link.
i think i've got enough to read now...

thanks

cashmir.

cashmir

2006-03-13, 5:54 pm

Scott wrote:
> cashmir wrote:
>
>
>
> http://tronche.com/gui/x/icccm/
>
> SCoTT.

thanks a lot for that, it seems to sum up the whole bunch.
it's exactly the info i was looking for...

thanks again,

cashmir.

cashmir

2006-03-13, 5:54 pm

cashmir wrote:
> Ulrich Eckhardt wrote:
>
[vbcol=seagreen]
>
>
>
> Running strace gives just the same info : malloc didn't succeed.
> It isn't a bug in xine but some error of that program i wrote i guess...
> i asked here because i can't understand how a windowmanager can cause
> a malloc error in a program, which runs fine with all other wm.'s.
> i still think it's curious...( and xine still won't run)

well...to be complete on the xine weirdness :
It seems my program gave it a zero-width( or height or both ).
I guess in that case xine tries to allocate a zero-size memoryblock
which leads to the error.

anyways, it was working again after i made some correction there..

cheers,

cashmir.