Why X11 Is So Complex

Why is X11 so complex? So many hops? Because X11 was designed for Distributed Computing Systems. Here's how I used (abused?) X11R4 at UIUC Systems Research Group way back in 1990 (30 years ago!)... X TERM EMACS X EYES PURPLE SERVER SUN SPARC SERVER X TERM EMACS TETRIS SUN SPARCSTATION PURPLE FGET EVERYTHING WAS WIRED NO WIFI IN 1990! ALL THIS HAPPENS INSIDE OUR COMPUTER ENCODED GRAPHICS REMOTE GRAPHICS X11 SERVICE RENDERED GRAPHICS WINDOWMANAGER/COMPOSITOR DECORATE WINDOWS LAYOUT WINDOWS UPDATE SCREEN ALL OUR WORKSTATIONS WERE NAMED AFTER VAMPIRES FROM "INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE" BY ANNE RICE MY WORKSTATION WAS NAMED "DARIUS" MY MACINTOSH II WORKSTATION Hi Prof. Campbell!

A hand-drawn technical diagram humorously explains an X11 setup from 1990, showing applications on networked Sun workstations and a Macintosh workstation connected through layers of graphics and window-management services. The joke is that X11 feels absurdly complicated because every display action travels through many hops, cables, and components, especially in an era before Wi‑Fi. It can be sent as a reaction to overengineered software, convoluted architecture, or unexpectedly complicated computer systems.

• @infosecmemes / 323 2020-07-19