The Null Device

A modest proposal for a much needed new rendering model for X, from X11 veteran Keith Packard: (via Slashdot)
As application development has advanced, the X protocol has devolved into little more than an image transport mechanism. Applications perform rendering in client-side buffers and transport the result to the screen. A shared memory mechanism for delivering images to the X server exists when the application is running on the same machine as the display, but performance suffers when attempting to run these applications over the network.
The strongest argument for building a new rendering model is in evidence on almost every Linux machine these days. The combination of KDE, Gnome, and Enlightenment demonstrate that the world of 2D graphics is rapidly leaving the X Window System behind. These applications use sophisticated rendering primitives like outlined text and cubic splines. They improve image quality with anti-aliasing and blend images together with alpha compositing.

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