Chapter 8 Study Cards

Question 1

Accelerated-X

Answer 1

The commercial Accelerated-X server from Xi Graphics (http://www.xig.com) is an alternative to the open source XFree86 and X.org-X11. In practice, running Accelerated-X is seldom necessary, but if you have problems getting your video card working, you may want to look into Accelerated-X; its driver base is independent of the more popular open source choices, so it’s possible you’ll have better luck with it. The Accelerated-X configuration tools and files are completely different from those described in “Methods of Configuring X” and “X Configuration Options,” so you’ll need to consult its documentation for help. The rest of this Lesson’s topics still apply to Accelerated-X.

Question 2

Bitmap Fonts

Answer 2

The simplest type of font format is the bitmap font, which represents fonts much like bitmap graphics, in which individual pixels in an array are either active or inactive. Bitmap fonts are fairly easy to manipulate and display, from a programming perspective, which makes them good for low-powered computers.

Question 3

Client

Answer 3

A program that initiates data transfer requests using networking protocols.
A computer that runs one or more client programs.

Question 4

Common Unix Printing System (CUPS)

Answer 4

A printing system for Linux and other Unix-like systems. CUPS adds several features that had been missing from the earlier BSD, LPD, and LPRng printing systems.

Question 5

CUPS

Answer 5

A printing system for Linux and other Unix-like systems. CUPS adds several features that had been missing from the earlier BSD, LPD, and LPRng printing systems.

Question 6

Data Display Channel (DDC)

Answer 6

A protocol that enables a computer to query a monitor for its maximum horizontal and vertical refresh rates and other vital statistics.

Question 7

DDC

Answer 7

A protocol that enables a computer to query a monitor for its maximum horizontal and vertical refresh rates and other vital statistics.

Question 8

Desktop environment

Answer 8

A set of programs that provide a friendly graphical environment for a Linux user.

Question 9

Font server

Answer 9

A program that provides font bitmaps to client programs on the same or other computers. The font server may work directly from font bitmaps, or it may generate the bitmaps from outline fonts such as PostScript Type 1 or TrueType fonts.

Question 10

Font smoothing

Answer 10

A technique for rendering fonts that uses shades of gray along curved or angled edges in order to improve the legibility and aesthetic appeal of individual characters.

Question 11

HTTP

Answer 11

A protocol used for transferring Web pages from a Web server to a Web browser.

Question 12

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Answer 12

A protocol used for transferring Web pages from a Web server to a Web browser.

Question 13

Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)

Answer 13

A protocol for printing on a network. Used by CUPS on Linux.

Question 14

IPP

Answer 14

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A protocol for printing on a network. Used by CUPS on Linux.

Question 15

Keyboard

Answer 15

An input device having many keys marked with letters and other symbols.

Question 16

Locale

Answer 16

In Linux, a locale is a way of specifying the computer’s (or user’s) language, country, and related information for purposes of customizing displays.

Question 17

Mode Lines

Answer 17

Definition of the timings required by particular video resolutions running at particular refresh rates.

Question 18

Mouse

Answer 18

An input device which allows pointing to, selecting and activating objects, usually displayed in a graphical user interface.

Question 19

Multi-Head Display

Answer 19

A display that’s made up of two or more physical monitors that together show a wider view on a larger virtual workspace.

Question 20

Open source

Answer 20

A broad set of software licenses, or the software that uses them, that permits redistribution and copying under liberal terms. The open source definition is somewhat broader than that of free software.

Question 21

Outline Fonts

Answer 21

Most modern fonts are distributed as outline fonts (aka scalable fonts). This type of format represents each character as a series of lines and curves in a high-resolution matrix. The computer can scale this representation to any font size or for any display resolution, enabling a single font file to handle every possible use of the font.

Question 22

PCL

Answer 22

A language developed by Hewlett-Packard for controlling printers. (Many of Hewlett-Packard’s competitors now use PCL.) PCL is most commonly found on mid-range laser printers, but some ink-jet printers also support the language. Several PCL variants exist, the most common ranging from PCL 3 to PCL 6.

Question 23

PostScript

Answer 23

A programming language used on many high-end printers. PostScript is optimized for displaying text and graphics on the printed page. The Linux program Ghostscript converts from PostScript to bitmapped formats understood by many low-end and mid-range printers.

Question 24

PostScript Printer Definition (PPD)

Answer 24

A configuration file that provides information on a printer’s capabilities-its paper size, whether it prints in color, and so on.

Question 25

PostScript Type 1

Answer 25

An outline font format associated with PostScript but usable under Linux with or without a PostScript printer. See TrueType.

Question 26

PPD

Answer 26

A configuration file that provides information on a printer's capabilities-its paper size, whether it prints in color, and so on.

Question 27

Print queue

Answer 27

A storage place for files waiting to be printed.

Question 28

Printer Control Language (PCL)

Answer 28

A language developed by Hewlett-Packard for controlling printers. (Many of Hewlett-Packard's competitors now use PCL.) PCL is most commonly found on mid-range laser printers, but some ink-jet printers also support the language. Several PCL variants exist, the most common ranging from PCL 3 to PCL 6.

Question 29

Printer driver

Answer 29

A software component that converts printable data generated by an application into a format that's suitable for a specific model of printer. In Linux, printer drivers usually reside in Ghostscript, but some applications include a selection of printer drivers to print directly to various printers.

Question 30

Smart filter

Answer 30

A program, run as part of a print queue, that determines the type of a file and passes it through appropriate programs to convert it to a format the printer can handle.

Question 31

True Type

Answer 31

A font format developed by Apple and dominant in the Mac OS and Windows worlds. TrueType support in Linux is provided by certain font servers, by XFree86 4.x, by X.org-X11, and by Xfs. See also PostScript Type 1.

Question 32

Unicode

Answer 32

A standard for representing text in numerous alphabets and other writing systems. See also Unicode Transformation Format (8-bit).

Question 33

Unicode Transformation Format (8-bit)

Answer 33

A variable-length encoding format for Unicode. UTF-8 is slowly supplanting ASCII as a standard encoding method.

Question 34

Username

Answer 34

The name associated with an account, such as theo or emilyn. Linux usernames are case sensitive and may be from 1 to 32 characters in length, although they're usually entirely lowercase and no longer than 8 characters.

Question 35

UTF-8

Answer 35

A variable-length encoding format for Unicode. UTF-8 is slowly supplanting ASCII as a standard encoding method.

Question 36

Window manager

Answer 36

A program that provides decorative and functional additions to the plain windows provided by X. Linux supports dozens of window managers.

Question 37

X

Answer 37

The X Window System: a graphical user interface originating at MIT and having several variations.

Question 38

X core fonts

Answer 38

Fonts managed by the X server.

Question 39

X Display Manager Control Protocol (XDMCP)

Answer 39

A protocol for managing X connections across a network. XDMCP is also used for displaying a local GUI login screen for Linux workstations. Common XDMCP servers for Linux include the X Display Manager (XDM), the GNOME Display Manager (GDM), and the KDE Display Manager (KDM).

Question 40

X logical font description (XLFD)

Answer 40

A format for describing X core fonts. Programs use the XLFD when telling X to display a font, and the XLFD also appears in X core font configuration files.

Question 41

X server

Answer 41

A program that implements X for a computer; especially the component that interacts most directly with the video hardware.

Question 42

X.org-X11

Answer 42

In 2004, most Linux distributions shifted from XFree86 to X.org-X11 because of licensing changes to XFree86. X.org-X11 6.7.0 was based on XFree86 4.3.99, but it's developed independently up to the current version, 7.7. Because X.org-X11 is based on XFree86, the two are virtually identical in most important respects. One significant difference is the name of the configuration file; another is the default location for fonts.

Question 43

XDMCP

Answer 43

A protocol for managing X connections across a network. XDMCP is also used for displaying a local GUI login screen for Linux workstations. Common XDMCP servers for Linux include the X Display Manager (XDM), the GNOME Display Manager (GDM), and the KDE Display Manager (KDM).

Question 44

XFree86

Answer 44

The dominant X server in Linux until 2004 was XFree86. This open source server supports a wide array of video cards and input devices, and most Linux software was originally designed with XFree86 in mind.

Question 45

XLFD

Answer 45

A format for describing X core fonts. Programs use the XLFD when telling X to display a font, and the XLFD also appears in X core font configuration files.