On Mon, 22 Apr 2002 13:55:07 +0200
"Alexander Maryanovsky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Why not wait until it's reconnected

Answer is in next paragraph...

> > However, there is a lot of "state" stored in
> > the X-server (Graphics-Context etc.),
> Hmm, I guess this was my confusion... I'm a Java developer

Now, you got it right!

> Well, like I said, I thought the applications were supposed to keep
> all the state, not the X-server.

There is a tradeof. Imagine an application trying to draw
a line. You'll need to pass many parameters for each redraw,
e.g: width, stappling (---....--...-), color, line ending style
(round, truncated) etc. More complex figures (e.g: filled
shapes) has even more drawing parameters.

The solution is to put some "graphics state" (in X11 it is
called Graphics Context) into the X-server, so you can
draw a line with simple two endpoints coordinates parameters.

AFAIK this method is employed by all common graphics systems:
X11, Win, Mac (If I miss anything about the MS/Apple world,
please fix me).

What you see in Java is an illusion (albeit a good one). The
classes (specifically the Graphics class) maintain state
indeed. However, you should remember that on a low level Java
works with the native display system, so when you issue
for example a setFont() call to a Graphics object, Java
simply store some internal info and calls a similar method
on the native system (e.g: XSetFont on X11) which talks
with the DISPLAY.

Cheers,

----------------------------------------------------------------
Oron Peled                             Voice/Fax: +972-4-8228492
[EMAIL PROTECTED]                  http://www.actcom.co.il/~oron

"Some people have a life, others have Windows to tell them
where they want to go today" - Ronald C.F. Antony

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