Appendix G. Sources of Additional Information

This appendix describes where you can get more information about Xlib and about X in general, including other books on the subject and the various ways to get the source code for X.

This appendix lists a few of the official and unofficial sources for information about the X Window System and associated software.

Note that some of this detailed information may become dated rather quickly. The best source of current information is the comp.windows.x network news group, described later in this appendix.

G.1 Getting the X Software

At this writing, the current public release level is Release 5. This book documents Release 4 and Release 5. Many people will continue to use R4 for a while, since there is a considerable lag time between the date that MIT distributes a new release and the date by which vendors integrate that release into their own products and issue updates. All changes to Xlib in R5 are backwards compatible, although there are many new interfaces that provide additional capabilities.

You can get the X software directly from MIT on three 9-track 1600-BPI magtapes written in UNIX tar format or on one 9-track 6250-BPI magtape, along with printed copies of MIT’s manuals, by sending a check in U.S. currency for U.S. $400 to:

MIT Software Distribution Center
Technology Licensing Office
MIT E32-300
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

Their telephone number is (617) 253-6966, and the “X Ordering Hotline” is (617) 258-8330. If you want the ...

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