This book puts you in charge of the most flexible and adaptable graphical interface in the computer industry. The X Window System underlies graphical desktops on Linux and Unix systems, and supports advanced features of modern graphics cards. More people use the X Window System than ever before, but there are few books about X in print.
X Power Tools fills that hole with the most practical and up-to-date information available.
Written in O'Reilly's popular Power Tools format,
X Power Tools offers dozens of standalone articles, thoroughly cross-referenced, on useful tools and techniques for using X. This unique inside look at X gives Unix/Linux system administrators, owners of self-administered systems, and power users a lot of useful ways to harness the power of this system effectively. This book:
- Offers a thorough grounding in X configuration and how the system works
- Provides the complete ins and outs of changing a desktop's behavior, such as fonts, keyboard settings, and remote security
- Includes articles on how to take advantage of X's "network transparency" -- its ability to display graphical applications on a remote machine
- Explores intriguing areas such as using multiple monitors, building kiosks, and accessibility
- Features discussions on X Window innovations and the future of the system
X Power Tools covers configuration and use of X, focusing on Linux but also including notes on other operating systems such as Solaris and FreeBSD. Each article in the book gives you insight into X; the entire book gives you a real grasp on this system and what you can do with it.
Customer Reviews & Comments
This book exceeded my expectations logarithmically. The title should be something like "X Expertise" or "Everything you will ever need to know about X". Even the back cover text makes this sound rather uninteresting and dull, but trust me: it's not. This is well written and completely stuffed with information and tips. I thought I knew a bit about this subject - hah! I knew very little..
I loved the whole book, but I particularly loved the little asides the author threw in now and then, like "The memory and raw processing power of many modern optical mice exceeds that of the first computer to run Unix".
Chris Taylor explains things very well.. no, he does it better than that. So many things that I was a little vague on are now crystal clear - great job!
If you are using X at all, you want this. I had the big multi-volume "X Windows User's Guide" years ago (probably still have it kicking around here somewhere) - amazingly enough, Chris seems to have packed more truly useful information into 200+ pages than that did in several larger books.
