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In what way are these "X11 apps"? Aren't those just "GUI apps that support X11"? Which is not a particularly special trait, because it applies to every Linux co

In what way are these "X11 apps"? Aren't those just "GUI apps that support X11"? Which is not a particularly special trait, because it applies to every Linux compatible Desktop app?

tmalsburg2 3y ago
You interpret X11 apps as a technical descriptor, but I think it's more a description of the ecosystem in which these apps evolved and whose culture they represent.
- kangalioo 3y ago
  I see, thanks for explaining
koprulusector 3y ago
X is the client and server for rendering pixels on to a screen, which is mapped to one of more monitors. It provides the most basic, bare bones way to draw a window to the screen, and that’s about it. It’s not even a GNU/Linux thing, X predates Linux, it’s more of the standard system to draw a window on Unix-like systems. X11 apps are GUI apps uncontrolled by/unaware of a desktop environment, theme engine, or window manager. They appear in a minimalist, maybe even brutalist, aesthetic. You can launch a single X11 app from the console, and the resulting window will be your entire graphical display/instance, returning you to the console after the program terminates execution. Maybe another way to think about your question might be, think of X vs Wayland.
- kangalioo 3y ago
  Interesting > You can launch a single X11 app from the console, and the resulting window will be your entire graphical display/instance, returning you to the console after the program terminates execution. Is this not possible with GUI apps using e.g. Qt or Electron?
saint_yossarian 3y ago
Also most (all?) of these apps use xlib directly, rather than going through a toolkit like Gtk or Qt.
- hulitu 3y ago
  There are a lot of toolkits besides GTK and QT: XT, Motif, Xaw(3d), xforms, xview, wxwidgets.
bitwize 3y ago
A lot of these are built against Xlib directly, or X11-only toolkits such as Motif. Porting them to other window systems would require significant rewrites.

In what way are these "X11 apps"? Aren't those just "GUI apps that support X11"? Which is not a particularly special trait, because it applies to every Linux compatible Desktop app?

tmalsburg2 3y ago

You interpret X11 apps as a technical descriptor, but I think it's more a description of the ecosystem in which these apps evolved and whose culture they represent.

kangalioo 3y ago
I see, thanks for explaining

koprulusector 3y ago

X is the client and server for rendering pixels on to a screen, which is mapped to one of more monitors. It provides the most basic, bare bones way to draw a window to the screen, and that’s about it. It’s not even a GNU/Linux thing, X predates Linux, it’s more of the standard system to draw a window on Unix-like systems. X11 apps are GUI apps uncontrolled by/unaware of a desktop environment, theme engine, or window manager. They appear in a minimalist, maybe even brutalist, aesthetic. You can launch a single X11 app from the console, and the resulting window will be your entire graphical display/instance, returning you to the console after the program terminates execution. Maybe another way to think about your question might be, think of X vs Wayland.

kangalioo 3y ago
Interesting > You can launch a single X11 app from the console, and the resulting window will be your entire graphical display/instance, returning you to the console after the program terminates execution. Is this not possible with GUI apps using e.g. Qt or Electron?

saint_yossarian 3y ago

Also most (all?) of these apps use xlib directly, rather than going through a toolkit like Gtk or Qt.

hulitu 3y ago
There are a lot of toolkits besides GTK and QT: XT, Motif, Xaw(3d), xforms, xview, wxwidgets.

bitwize 3y ago

A lot of these are built against Xlib directly, or X11-only toolkits such as Motif. Porting them to other window systems would require significant rewrites.