X Image Extension

X Image Extension, or XIE are extensions to X Window System that enhance its graphics capability. They provide a powerful mechanism for the transfer and display of virtually any image on any X-capable hardware. While not intended for use as a general purpose image-processing engine, XIE does provide a robust set of image rendition and enhancement primitives that can be combined into arbitrarily complex expressions. XIE also provides import and export facilities for moving images between client and server, and for accessing images as resources. The client side programming library, XIElib, was documented in the Prentice Hall book Developing Imaging Applications with XIElib, by Syd Logan (ISBN: 0-13-442914-1). In addition to the server and client library, a performance and test tool, xieperf, was included in X11R6. This client was also written by Syd Logan.

XIE was developed under contract to the X Consortium by a San Diego, CA company (no longer extant) called AGE Logic. Principal team members include Larry Hare, Bob Shelley, Dr. Dean Verheiden, Dr. Ben Fahey, Dr. Gary Rogers, and Syd Logan.

For all practical purposes, the Image Extension is obsolete. Adequate image performance is instead gained through use of the ubiquitous MIT-SHM extension, which allows transfer of large images between the client and server on the same machine (the common use-case) via shared memory.

See also

• The Open Group
• POSIX
• X/Open Portability Guide

External links

• X Image Extension Overview paper
• Page supporting the book Developing Imaging Applications with XIELib