Xcom GUI system for FreeBSD

xcomgui

xcomgui

Xcom (the crossplatform graphics user interface) received an usable FreeBSD version.

What is Xcom?

Xcom is a lightweight, crossplatform GUI system (graphics user interface) with X11 emulation. Xcom is a single executable binary file around 4 MBytes of size. Xcom is not just tiny in size, but fast, and it doesn't requires an installation process. You can just extract it and run it. Xcom doesn't needs hardware accelerated graphics drivers to run.

The "X" letter in Xcom's name refers to the X11 compatibility, and "Com" refers to the various super lightweight commander programs for DOS in the early 90s.

xcom_2026.jpg


-Xcom is a multi-windowed, multi-tasking environment. Xcom allows you to browse, copy, view and manage your files, start and stop programs, watch and listen basic media content and music. Unlike other windowing systems and protocols, it integrates the basic functionality as a monolithic, cohesive program.

-Xcom has no special library dependencies, it can run on an out of the box FreeBSD system.

-The built in X11 emulation is compatible with simple programs like galculator, xlinks2, dillo, qpxtool, and its also compatible with some windows programs through wine.

Please note, the FreeBSD support is still in testing phase, some features are disabled or limited, such as:
-Network management might not works.
-Login system is disabled.
-kern.vty=sc (or equivalent) has to be used to have a working frame buffer.
-A lot of features are untested.
-The OSS audio backend is *very* untested.

Xcom is free both for personal or commercial use, and it can be bundled to any software.

Download: http://xcom.infora.hu/
 
Wow!

When I saw the title, I thought to myself: "Oh no, another 'lightweight' GUI that needs 10 GPUs to run," and then I saw 'X11', '4 MB', and 'no hardware accelerated graphics' :)

If I understand correctly, the project is coded in C, and what we see here is the result of four years of work : that’s huge well done. I can't find the code on the site; I assume that's intentional?
 
doul said:
Wow!

When I saw the title, I thought to myself: "Oh no, another 'lightweight' GUI that needs 10 GPUs to run," and then I saw 'X11', '4 MB', and 'no hardware accelerated graphics' :)

If I understand correctly, the project is coded in C, and what we see here is the result of four years of work : that’s huge well done. I can't find the code on the site; I assume that's intentional?
Click to expand...

Thankyou.
I started to have a dissatisfication with the window manager and how the graphics systems in linux are heading to, especially after 2014.
There are multiple layers of problems as you say. There are the programs built with overcomplicated toolkits, and there are the window managers themself which are built upon the same app toolkits (they are almost like operating systems on their own) more than tripling the overhead in every possible situations, then you have xorg itself for example, which is now somehow requiring 100s of mbytes of graphics drivers, otherwise its a stuttering mess. And the thing is, drawing a line on the screen shouldnt require icon drawing toolkits wroten from 3 gbytes of libraries. But i dont want to criticize other developers, everyone is free to implement what he wants and i am also free to implement what i want, so i started this project around my 2d renderer (i used to be more of a game developer myself). Initially i wanted something very different, which was a mistake, and that took a few years to realize that conception will not work long term. After 2020 i thought of it again, and the conclusion of me was to do something which is just a simple userspace application without anything fancy. The source code will maybe released in the long future, once i finish it, this is however years at least (if the source code will be released, it will be released with mit or bsd dual license, something very permissive, but i also dont really want people to add bloat into it, turning it just also into another gnome...). I did the dos version first which some people liked. Then i started to implement the x11 protocol emulation and the terminal emulation, to make a linux version possible. (because i want to have compatiblity with the existing applications of a given platform, i dont just want to make a toy gui, but if i put time into something, then it should be at least useful to something). And then i was thinking on making it for freebsd as well. This is the second release for freebsd, the first one was really broken, especially the sound implementation. This one, i would say, its not a prealpha any more, just an alpha release, at least its a proof of concept of making an usable gui system happen from 4 mb instead of 4 gb.
 
xcomgui That’s a wonderful story. I really like it and can certainly relate, as I have a project based on the exact same philosophy: for the past two years, I’ve been working on a small, FreeBSD-style embedded operating system meaning a complete, coherent, and high-performance system (not just a kernel). Your project could be of interest to me for implementing a real lightweight graphical HMI (Human-Machine Interface) for embedded systems.
 
So, if I am on server and I need to run x11 application, I don't need to install x11-server?
Just run this executable and fire up the app?
Like in the MS DOS or Win311 days?
PERFECT.

I just hope it has localization to English or I will jump on my kerek parok (one word of Hungarian I know somehow (no idea why), besides Igen)....
 
MrBSD said:
Probably AI slop since there is no code.
Click to expand...
Slop = when it just looks like it might do something useful but doesn't....and you make 15 minute youtube video about it titled:
"This changes everything"
"This is insane"
"Billionaire over night doing nothing"
.
.
.
Like and subscribe, you guys.

This clearly not the case. It is very good idea in specific niche market with a lot of time and effort put in to it, despite Ai help or lack of.
 
MrBSD said:
I dont care what the definition is, or how you see it. If its coded with AI, its slop. And everyone should call it like that. Its same like calling GNU+Linux or GNU/Linux just Linux. Why should that get a pass, but not the slop. Grow up.
Click to expand...
I am quite old and very tall already but thanks for the suggestion.

I feel you. I lost interest in programming along the time when I was forced, by time and energy constraints, to use multitude of libraries as black boxes.
I liked going bare bones.
Ai can help me tremendously to decipher these black boxes or create my own libraries from ground up if I have the need.
It is nondeterministic in nature and sometimes quite stupid, with logic awkwardly glued to it, like myself but at least it is much faster and not tied to my sleeping schedule.

Is it any good?, is my first and last criteria.

Last time I saw handcrafted, useful, a few binary application with minimum bugs were the late 90's. FAR file manager done by some crazy russkie.
 
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