Re: X11 {no}retro modifications

[Iain Hibbert <plunky%rya-online.net@localhost>]

On Sun, 15 Jan 2012, David Holland wrote:

> On Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 10:37:12AM +0100, Martin Husemann wrote:
>  > Xorg upstream changed the default X background from the gray stiples it
>  > had for years to a simple dark black. This basically is good for finished,
>  > working installs, but together with the X server hiding the mouse untill
>  > the first client attaches, it gives a perfectly black screen when manually
>  > running X without any configuration.
>  >
>  > We received several bug reports about this "system hangs with black screen
>  > when starting X", so localy restored the default background and added an
>  > inverted "-noretro" option (retro = stiples). This is good to avoid bug
>  > reports as above, but the upstream change was done for a reason: while
>  > starting up X, after the display switches to the proper graphic mode, it
>  > takes a while untill the desktop (or the window manager) are far enough in
>  > their startup procedure to properly redrow the configured background. This
>  > is visually a lot more pleasant if the screen stays black (after a 
> potential
>  > mode switch), and is most anying if the screen flickers once for the mode
>  > switch and then gets filled with ugly gray stiples, only to be replaced
>  > with the real background seconds later.
>  >
>  > The attached patches keep the debug behaviour of unconfigured installs, but
>  > provide the "noretro" style for working setups.
>
> I think this is a good idea, FWIW.
>
> It would be better if we could get it to display something else, like
> a daemon image or even a gradient fill, but as I recall from the last
> discussion that isn't entirely trivial.

FWIW I have had the following in my /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup_0 file for a few
years..

if [ -x /usr/games/random ]; then
  /usr/games/random -e 256; r=$?
  /usr/games/random -e 256; g=$?
  /usr/games/random -e 256; b=$?
  /usr/X11R7/bin/xsetroot -solid $(printf "rgb:%02x/%02x/%02x" $r $g $b)
fi

regards,
iain