XSTANDARDS(7)

📦 version 1.7.3, in arch rolling, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, opensuse-leap 16.0

✨ NAME ✨

XStandards — X Window System Standards and Specifications 💖

bestie, you found the XSTANDARDS(7) page, and it is the receipts folder for what's actually a real X Window System standard and what's just... vibing in the source tree. let's get into it 🫶

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so the whole major goal of the X Consortium was to promote cooperation within the computer industry in the creation of standard software interfaces at all layers in the X Window System environment. like, every layer. no gaps. periodt 💅

The X Consortium produced standards — documents which defined network protocols, programming interfaces, and other aspects of the X environment. and those standards? they continue to exist in the X.Org Foundation releases. the X.Org Foundation also produces specifications. Like X Window System Standards, these are documents which define network protocols, programming interfaces, and other aspects of the X environment. ✨

Under the aegis of The Open Group, X Window System standards, X.Org Foundation specifications, and other specifications are the basis for portions of The Open Group's various CAE specifications. ikyk what that means, it means the lore goes deep 👑

The status of various standards, specifications, and the software in the X11R7.0 distribution, is explained below. 🦋

👑 STANDARDS 👑

The following documents are X Window System standards — these ones ate, no crumbs:

  • X Window System Protocol — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Robert W. Scheifler
  • Xlib - C Language X Interface — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — James Gettys, Robert W. Scheifler, Ron Newman
  • X Toolkit Intrinsics - C Language Interface — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Joel McCormack, Paul Asente, Ralph R. Swick, Donna Converse
  • Bitmap Distribution Format — Version 2.1 — X Version 11, Release 7.0
  • Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual — Version 2.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — David Rosenthal, Stuart W. Marks
  • Compound Text Encoding — Version 1.1 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Robert W. Scheifler
  • X Logical Font Description Conventions — Version 1.5 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Jim Flowers, Stephen Gildea
  • X Display Manager Control Protocol — Version 1.1 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Keith Packard
  • X11 Nonrectangular Window Shape Extension — Version 1.0.1 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Keith Packard
  • X11 Input Extension Protocol Specification — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — George Sachs, Mark Patrick
  • X11 Input Extension Library Specification — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Mark Patrick, George Sachs
  • The X Font Service Protocol — Version 2.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Jim Fulton
  • Inter-Client Exchange (ICE) Protocol — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Robert Scheifler, Jordan Brown
  • Inter-Client Exchange (ICE) Library — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Ralph Mor
  • X Session Management Protocol — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Mike Wexler
  • X Session Management Library — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Ralph Mor
  • The Input Method Protocol — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Masahiko Narita, Hideki Hiura
  • X Synchronization Extension — Version 3.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Tim Glauert, Dave Carver, Jim Gettys, David P. Wiggins
  • XTEST Extension — Version 2.2 — Kieron Drake
  • Big Requests Extension — Version 2.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Bob Scheifler
  • XC-MISC Extension — Version 1.1 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Bob Scheifler, Dave Wiggins
  • Double Buffer Extension — Version 1.0 — Ian Elliott, David P. Wiggins
  • Record Extension Protocol — Version 1.13 — Martha Zimet, Stephen Gildea
  • Record Extension Library — Version 1.13 — Martha Zimet, Stephen Gildea
  • X Keyboard Extension Protocol — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Erik Fortune
  • X Keyboard Extension Library — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Amber J. Benson, Gary Aitken, Erik Fortune, Donna Converse, George Sachs, and Will Walker
  • X Print Extension Protocol — X Version 11, Release 7.0
  • X Print Extension Library — X Version 11, Release 7.0
  • X Application Group Extension Protocol and Library — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Kaleb Keithley
  • X Security Extension Protocol and Library — Version 4.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Dave Wiggins
  • X Proxy Manager Protocol — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Ralph Swick
  • LBX Extension Protocol and Library — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Keith Packard, Dave Lemke, Donna Converse, Ralph Mor, Ray Tice
  • Remote Execution MIME Type — Version 1.0 — X Version 11, Release 7.0 — Arnaud Le Hors

💜 SPECIFICATIONS 💜

The following documents are X Project Team specifications (sibling energy, different label, still iconic):

  • Colormap Utilization Policy and Extension — Version 1.0 — Kaleb Keithley
  • Extended Visual Information Extension — Version 1.0 — Peter Daifuku
  • X Display Power Management (DPMS) Extension Protocol and Library — Version 1.0 — Rob Lembree

🎀 INCLUDE FILES 🎀

🌈 Xlib

The following include files are part of the Xlib standard:

  • <X11/cursorfont.h>
  • <X11/keysym.h>
  • <X11/keysymdef.h>
  • <X11/X.h>
  • <X11/Xatom.h>
  • <X11/Xcms.h>
  • <X11/Xlib.h>
  • <X11/Xlibint.h>
  • <X11/Xproto.h>
  • <X11/Xprotostr.h>
  • <X11/Xresource.h>
  • <X11/Xutil.h>
  • <X11/X10.h>

🧚 X Toolkit Intrinsics

The following include files are part of the X Toolkit Intrinsics standard:

  • <X11/Composite.h>
  • <X11/CompositeP.h>
  • <X11/Constraint.h>
  • <X11/ConstrainP.h>
  • <X11/Core.h>
  • <X11/CoreP.h>
  • <X11/Intrinsic.h>
  • <X11/IntrinsicP.h>
  • <X11/Object.h>
  • <X11/ObjectP.h>
  • <X11/RectObj.h>
  • <X11/RectObjP.h>
  • <X11/Shell.h>
  • <X11/ShellP.h>
  • <X11/StringDefs.h>
  • <X11/Vendor.h>
  • <X11/VendorP.h>

🌸 Nonrectangular Window Shape Extension

The following include file is part of the Nonrectangular Window Shape Extension standard:

  • <X11/extensions/shape.h>

⭐ X Input Extension

The following include files are part of the X Input Extension standard:

  • <X11/extensions/XI.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XInput.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XIproto.h>

🦋 ICElib

The following include files are part of the ICElib standard:

  • <X11/ICE/ICE.h>
  • <X11/ICE/ICEconn.h>
  • <X11/ICE/ICElib.h>
  • <X11/ICE/ICEmsg.h>
  • <X11/ICE/ICEproto.h>
  • <X11/ICE/ICEutil.h>

🍓 SMlib

The following include files are part of the SMlib standard:

  • <X11/SM/SM.h>
  • <X11/SM/SMlib.h>
  • <X11/SM/SMproto.h>

💫 Synchronization

The following include file is part of the Synchronization standard:

  • <X11/extensions/sync.h>

🔥 XTEST

The following include file is part of the XTEST standard:

  • <X11/extensions/XTest.h>

💅 Double Buffer Extension

The following include file is part of the Double Buffer Extension standard:

  • <X11/extensions/Xdbe.h>

🎵 Record Library

The following include file is part of the Record Library standard:

  • <X11/extensions/record.h>

👑 X Keyboard Extension Library

The following include files are part of the X Keyboard Extension Library standard:

  • <X11/XKBlib.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XKB.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XKBproto.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XKBstr.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XKBgeom.h>

🖨️ X Print Extension Library

The following include files are part of the X Print Extension Library standard:

  • <X11/extensions/Print.h>
  • <X11/extensions/Printstr.h>

💜 X Application Group Extension Library

The following include files are part of the X Application Group Extension Library standard:

  • <X11/extensions/Xag.h>
  • <X11/extensions/Xagstr.h>

🔐 X Security Extension Library

The following include files are part of the X Security Extension Library standard:

  • <X11/extensions/security.h>
  • <X11/extensions/securstr.h>

🌈 LBX Extension library

The following include files are part of the LBX Extension library standard:

  • <X11/extensions/XLbx.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxbuf.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxbufstr.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxdeltastr.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbximage.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxopts.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxstr.h>
  • <X11/extensions/lbxzlib.h>

🎨 Colormap Utilization Policy and Extension

The following include files are part of the Colormap Utilization Policy and Extension specification:

  • <X11/extensions/Xcup.h>
  • <X11/extensions/Xcupstr.h>

✨ Extended Visual Information

The following include files are part of the Extended Visual Information specification:

  • <X11/extensions/XEVI.h>
  • <X11/extensions/XEVIstr.h>

🌙 X Display Management Signaling Extension

The following include files are part of the X Display Management Signaling Extension specification:

  • <X11/extensions/dpms.h>
  • <X11/extensions/dpmsstr.h>

💀 NON STANDARDS 💀

not everything gets a crown, bestie. listen up:

The X11R7.0 distribution contains sample implementations, not reference implementations. Although much of the code is believed to be correct, the code should be assumed to be in error wherever it conflicts with the specification. 😭

fr fr, that's the rule. sample ≠ reference. if the code and the spec disagree, the code is the one that's wrong.

The only X Window System standards are the ones listed above. No other documents, include files, or software in X11R7.0 carry special status within the X Window System. for example, none of the following are standards:

  • internal interfaces of the sample server
  • the MIT-SHM extension
  • the Athena Widget Set
  • the Xmu library
  • the Xau library
  • the RGB database
  • the X Locale database
  • the fonts distributed with X11R7.0
  • the applications distributed with X11R7.0
  • the include files <X11/XWDFile.h>, <X11/Xfuncproto.h>, <X11/Xfuncs.h>, <X11/Xosdefs.h>, <X11/Xos.h>, <X11/Xos_r.h>, <X11/Xwinsock.h>, and <X11/Xthreads.h>
  • the bitmap files in <X11/bitmaps>

The Multi-Buffering extension was a draft standard of the X Consortium but has been superseded by DBE as a standard. glow-down, honestly 💅

🌐 X REGISTRY 🌐

The X.Org Foundation maintains a registry of certain X-related items, to aid in avoiding conflicts and to aid in sharing of such items. 🫶

The registry is published as part of the X Window System software release. The latest version may also be found at

ftp://ftp.x.org/pub/DOCS/registry
heads up: The X Registry and the names in it are not X Window System standards. cute list, still not a standard 🙈

and that's the whole page, bestie — you read every single entry, which is main character energy fr 🌟

this was the XSTANDARDS(7) page from X Version 11, shipped as part of xorg-docs 1.7.3 — mwah, go forth and cite your sources correctly 💖✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from