DirectFB: A New Linux Graphics Standard?

Posted by michael on Tuesday October 23, 2001 @12:51AM from the X-reigns-supreme dept.

Spy Hunter writes: "Some people really dislike the X Window System. DirectFB seems to be the answer to their prayers. Building on the framebuffer support available in recent Linux kernels, DirectFB adds hardware acceleration, input devices, and window management. It has been made (and LGPL'd) by Digital Convergence as a Linux video/television solution, but it is much more than that. It has the potential to replace X for Linux desktops. You want a transparent terminal? How about a transparent video player? Development is proceeding rapidly, with a GTK port and even an X server for legacy apps in progress. Could this be the future of the Linux desktop?"

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A way to reduce software costs .... by LL · 2001-10-23 01:10 · Score: 4, Interesting

... is to refactor VNC to multicast directly to a bunch of Linux frame-buffers (a la SunRay). If companies are insisting on per CPU licensing and refusing to offer floating licenses (think legacy apps) then by running it on a half-decent back-end server (with fast storage) you can amortise the cost of the software over a wider geographical region, as well as support multiple legacy versions. Of course, you better have a decent network first.

BTE, whatever has happened to embedding X into the web browser (X11R7? Broadway?) How come that's not being used to port some of the older X utilities across to work over the internet?

LL