X Window Programming From Scratch (From Scratch)

Rating:
Summary: Writing a Graphics Editor using Linux, X Windows and C
Review: Dear Readers,

I am in awe at the overwhelming positive response my book has received and sincerely hope that you, too, enjoy this work.

The idea for the book grew from the realization that software development is the combination of many disciplines. In order to write a computer program, you must know something about the operating system, programming constructs, a programming language, the graphics environment, and have an interesting idea for a project. 'X Window Programming from Scratch' provides detailed instruction on each of these elements and more.

My introduction to the X Window System began shortly after its release from MIT in the mid-1980s. I started programming in Linux shortly thereafter by downloading Debian Linux (v.96 if I remember correctly) from the Internet and working for days to install it. This experience turned to passion and has taken me to three continents and a dozen countries where I have instructed, developed, and debugged in C, C++, Java, X Windows, Motif, and even served as a system administrator. This text reflects many of the lessons I have learned over the years and I am confident it will be a welcome addition to your personal library both as a project book and as a reference.

A word of caution, however, as this book is not for the faint of heart!

The text guides you through the Linux operating system from the application developer's point of view. It introduces programming constructs and how to accomplish them using the C programming language. Further, it provides a comprehensive introduction to windowing environments and specifically the X Window System. And finally, it introduces the PostScript print language and how to write print drivers. The point of all this instruction is to lead you through a project to author a Graphics Editor application, so there is even some trigonometric and geometric mathematics thrown in for good measure.

When you complete this text you will be comfortable using Linux for application development (to include constructing project Makefiles), you will be an advanced C and X Window programmer, and lastly you will have a working Graphics Editor application capable of drawing, scaling, and moving lines, shapes, and text objects. The project also includes save and restore capabilities as well as a PostScript print driver.

I trust you are up to the challenge!

Regards,

John

Rating:
Summary: Very Thorough!
Review: I am a complete beginner, so I hoped this is the book for me.And yes. it is, but...
First part of the book, about 100 pages, contains intro to UNIX/Linux, C cmpiler, make, programming and C language. Very short, more a review than introduction.
Then it explains the basics of X Window System, widgets + some background. Follows a part containing the math stuff needed for the real drawing program, which is then implemented.
At the end the book contains more then 9000 lines of Vector Font Deefinitions (contained among others on the CD), which is almost 200 pages.
The book is still pretty good, but you are buing not a 800 pages book, but a 500 one, don't forget it.

Rating:
Summary: Still usable
Review: I am a complete beginner, so I hoped this is the book for me.And yes. it is, but...
First part of the book, about 100 pages, contains intro to UNIX/Linux, C cmpiler, make, programming and C language. Very short, more a review than introduction.
Then it explains the basics of X Window System, widgets + some background. Follows a part containing the math stuff needed for the real drawing program, which is then implemented.
At the end the book contains more then 9000 lines of Vector Font Deefinitions (contained among others on the CD), which is almost 200 pages.
The book is still pretty good, but you are buing not a 800 pages book, but a 500 one, don't forget it.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing about everything
Review: It has been said that a specialist knows everything about nothing, while a generalist knows nothing about everything. This is a generalist book.

The title of this book is completely misleading, except, perhaps the "scratch" part: After reading it, I am scratching my head, and asking, so how do I write programs for X Window???

The author is spreading himself too thin. He assumes you do not even know how to edit a text file, you do not know how to program at all, you do not know what a linked list is. This is ridiculous. Obviously, if I want to learn about X Window programming from scratch, I do not know how to program for X Window, but I do know how to program in general. Alas, the book tells very little about X Window programming. It talks about Unix shells, about computer graphics, about make, about trigonometry, etc. But when it comes to X Window programming, it just breezes through it very fast. There is no systematic explanation of a basic structure of an X Window program. Instead, it offers the code of a vector image editor, completely confusing to an X beginner.

One thing the author excells in is self-praise. For example, chapter 13 says, "Chapter 1 provides an EXCELLENT introduction to ..." (emphasis mine). Give me a break!

I feel I was had. I feel I wasted both my money and my time. Don't waste yours!

Rating:
Summary: Very Thorough!
Review: The book provides a great overview of Linux, C, and Makefile then leads you through an excellent introduction to X Window programming including the mathematics necessary for writing a viable graphics editor!! The appendices are a little long (and exist on the CD) but the book is full of content! Even has a bonus chapter on PostScript for adding a print driver to the project.

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this book - it's a waste of money
Review: This book is very poorly written. Yes, there are usable things in it, but you're better off buying the X Toolkit Cookbook (if you need a tutorial approach), or the Motif Programming Manual (Volume 6A from O'Reilly).

Rating:
Summary: Do NOT waste your money on this book
Review: This book reeks. It's poorly written, and organized so badly I was tearing my hair out after the first few chapters.

Buy "X Toolkit Cookbook" - it's so much better, it defies description.

Rating:
Summary: Do NOT waste your money on this book
Review: This book reeks. It's poorly written, and organized so badly I was tearing my hair out after the first few chapters.

Buy "X Toolkit Cookbook" - it's so much better, it defies description.