This volume is an updated reference that includes X11 release 5, notes the changes and differences from release 4, and has a significantly reduced price of $9.95, down from $24.95. It also has a new type of lay-flat glue binding. The new release tends to flip closed when one is reading near the front or the back. This binding is not an improvement over the older version with its wire spiral binding, which did not have this problem.
How does one review a reference? I found that to be a difficult question to answer. Reviews have to be done with reasonable alacrity, but references prove their ultimate worth over time. It seems that there are three types of references: those that must be placed beside your workstation at all times, those that stay beside the workstation during the lifetime of the current project, and those that stay on the shelf for the occasional, but necessary, use.
The references that are always by my workstation are those where I am expert in the tool, use it a lot, but cannot keep all the details in my head at once. This guide meets those criteria. (It also makes the specious claim of being beneficial for those who are not X experts.)
To do this review, I embarked upon a few small projects where I thought that having it at hand would show me its usefulness and I would be forced to keep it by my machine. I used the table of contents as a guide. The book has ten sections and an index:
Xlib Functions and Macros
Xlib Data Types
Events
Xt Functions and Macros
Xt Data Types
Inside a Widget
Clients
Fonts, Colors, Cursors and Bitmaps
Translations
Errors and Warnings
These are nicely delineated with dark tabs at the page edges, so the reader can find the appropriate section by just thumbing the pages. I built a widget, fiddled with events, manipulated clients via the .Xdefaults file, and re-customized my environment with new fonts, colors, and translations. Building the widget forced me to look into the early sections and to delve deeply into the section that covers error messages.
I found that the book did what it claimed, with one notable exception: when I needed further information, the nutshell handbook did not point me to the appropriate volume of the full-blown X guides. I found this a little exasperating when building the widget, and ended up marking my review copy with the needed pointer. For my other exercises, I did not need this workaround.
The reference seemed to be in two distinct pieces: the first six sections are for widget authors, while the last three sections are for widget users. From this perspective, once I had recustomized my environment, I found the last part clutter; while I was doing the recustomizing, I found the first part clutter. Moreover, once I had completed all of my tasks, I did not need the book as much.
My recommendation in a nutshell: if you are a professional widget weenie, buy this book, be thankful the price is lower, and keep it next to your workstation; if you are not, buy it for $9.95 and keep it on a shelf.
