screen pixel density VS startxwin.exe

screen pixel density VS startxwin.exe

[Alexandre Beaugy]

Dear all,

For many years now, I used to set my screen pixel density to 90 pixels per inch, instead of the default 75 ppi, in the "startxwin.bat" file. My "startxwin.bat" used to be executed, then, at windows startup, to get a full functional Cygwin-X environment (at 90 ppi, by the way). Here is the commandline I did put in my "startxwin.bat" file:

        [...]
        run XWin -multiwindow -clipboard -dpi 90
        [...]
                                        ^^^^^^^^

Then, I recently upgraded my Cygwin-X installation from 1.5.x to 1.7.x, and now the "startxwin.bat" script disappeared, "replaced" by the "startxwin.exe" binary. That did not trouble me much. Nevertheless, I'm not able to set my screen pixel density anymore, or at least, I did not found the way (config file, commandline argument, ...) to set it again.

I tried, as target of "XWin Server" shortcut: `run C:\cygwin\bin\run.exe /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c /usr/bin/startxwin.exe -- -dpi 90'
                                               ^^^^^^^^^^^
In order "to specify particular server options, append a double dash (−−) to the startxwin command line (after any client and arguments) followed by the desired server options.", as it is said in the `man 1 startxwin'. Nevertheless, my option seems not to reach the server arguments, because, the screen pixel density of my Cygwin-X session remains stuck to 75ppi (as `xdpyinfo' reports).

I also heard about a file called "~/.xserverrc" to alter the way the Xserver is launched. But I did not found anything detailed about its content and how it shall be addressed.

Finally, I also tried, through xrandr-1.3, to set the physical size of the screen (using "--fbmm widthxheight") or the screen pixel density (using "--dpi dpi"). I was able to get a 90ppi screen pixel density *one time*, but was unable to reiterate. Then I'm wondering if I did not misread any output, thinking the screen pixel density changed, while it was not altered at all.

Therefore, can anyone please give me a hint, on how to set again, my screen pixel density?

Thanks a lot, to you all.

Regards,

-- 
Alexandre Beaugy


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Re: screen pixel density VS startxwin.exe

[JP]

Dear Alexandre

as of xinit-1.2.0-2, startxwin.bat amd startxwin.sh are no more.  See 
http://cygwin.com/ml/cygwin-xfree-announce/2009-12/msg00005.html

JP


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Re: screen pixel density VS startxwin.exe

[Jon TURNEY]

On 19/01/2010 14:45, Alexandre Beaugy wrote:
> For many years now, I used to set my screen pixel density to 90 pixels per
> inch, instead of the default 75 ppi, in the "startxwin.bat" file. My
> "startxwin.bat" used to be executed, then, at windows startup, to get a
> full functional Cygwin-X environment (at 90 ppi, by the way). Here is the
> commandline I did put in my "startxwin.bat" file:
>
> [...] run XWin -multiwindow -clipboard -dpi 90 [...] ^^^^^^^^
>
> Then, I recently upgraded my Cygwin-X installation from 1.5.x to 1.7.x, and
> now the "startxwin.bat" script disappeared, "replaced" by the
> "startxwin.exe" binary. That did not trouble me much. Nevertheless, I'm not
> able to set my screen pixel density anymore, or at least, I did not found
> the way (config file, commandline argument, ...) to set it again.
>
> I tried, as target of "XWin Server" shortcut: `run C:\cygwin\bin\run.exe
> /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c /usr/bin/startxwin.exe -- -dpi 90' ^^^^^^^^^^^ In
> order "to specify particular server options, append a double dash (−−) to
> the startxwin command line (after any client and arguments) followed by the
> desired server options.", as it is said in the `man 1 startxwin'.
> Nevertheless, my option seems not to reach the server arguments, because,
> the screen pixel density of my Cygwin-X session remains stuck to 75ppi (as
> `xdpyinfo' reports).

You really deserved to succeed after paying such good attention to the man-pages.

I think you will find that setting the shortcut to 'run C:\cygwin\bin\run.exe 
/usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c "/usr/bin/startxwin.exe -- -dpi 90"' should succeed in 
passing the dpi option down to startxwin.  Note that the quotes around the 
entire command after bash's -c option, which are needed, otherwise bash will 
interpret the '-- -dpi 90' as options for itself.

I think perhaps we should arrange for the shortcut to be created with these 
quotation marks in place to make it a bit more obvious where to add extra options.

> I also heard about a file called "~/.xserverrc" to alter the way the
> Xserver is launched. But I did not found anything detailed about its
> content and how it shall be addressed.

.xserverrc is discussed in the xinit manpage, and while you could achieve the 
same ends using that, I wouldn't recommend it, as this will also affect X 
servers started via startx or xinit.

-- 
Jon TURNEY
Volunteer Cygwin/X X Server maintainer

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Re: screen pixel density VS startxwin.exe

[BEAUGY Alexandre]

On 03/02/2010 19:11, Jon TURNEY wrote:
> You really deserved to succeed after paying such good attention to the 
> man-pages.
Thanks!
This deformation ;o) as to do with my studies at EPITA (Paris, FRANCE). 
Where we, students, were very oftenly told: "RTFM!". And at the end, you 
finally understand that manpages in Unices are a gold mine of 
information about softwares, languages, configuration files, etc.

> I think you will find that setting the shortcut to 'run 
> C:\cygwin\bin\run.exe /usr/bin/bash.exe -l -c "/usr/bin/startxwin.exe 
> -- -dpi 90"' should succeed in passing the dpi option down to 
> startxwin.  Note that the quotes around the entire command after 
> bash's -c option, which are needed, otherwise bash will interpret the 
> '-- -dpi 90' as options for itself.
Thanks a lot. That did it, it works again as I expect.

Regards,

-- 
Alexandre Beaugy


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