Inter-Client Communication Conventions Manual

Version 2.0

X Consortium Standard

X Version 11, Release 6


David Rosenthal

Sun Microsystems, Inc.




Version 2 edited by Stuart W. Marks

SunSoft, Inc.




Converted to HTML by Christophe Tronche

Laboratoire de Recherche en Informatique


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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies. Sun Microsystems makes no representations about the suitability for any purpose of the information in this document. This documentation is provided as is without express or implied warranty.


Preface to Version 2.0

The goal of the ICCCM Version 2.0 effort was to add new facilities, to fix problems with earlier drafts, and to improve readability and understandability, while maintaining compatibility with the earlier versions. This document is the product of over two years of discussion among the members of the X Consortium's wmtalk working group. The following people deserve thanks for their contributions:
Gabe Beged-Dov Bill Janssen
Chan Benson Vania Joloboff
Jordan Brown Phil Karlton
Larry Cable Kaleb Keithley
Ellis Cohen Mark Manasse
Donna Converse Ralph Mor
Brian Cripe Todd Newman
Susan Dahlberg Bob Scheifler
Peter Daifuku Keith Taylor
Andrew deBlois Jim VanGilder
Clive Feather Mike Wexler
Stephen Gildea Michael Yee
Christian Jacobi

It has been a privilege for me to work with this fine group of people.

Stuart W. Marks
December 1993


Preface to Version 1.1

David Rosenthal had overall architectural responsibility for the conventions defined in this document; he wrote most of the text and edited the document, but its the development has been a communal effort. The details were thrashed out in meetings at the January 1988 MIT X Conference and at the 1988 Summer Usenix conference, and through months (and megabytes) of argument on the wmtalk mail alias. Thanks are due to everyone who contributed, and especially to the following people.

For the Selection section:

For the Cut-Buffer section:

  • Andrew Palay.

    For the Window and Session Manager sections:
    Todd Brunhoff Matt Landau
    Ellis Cohen Mark Manasse
    Jim Fulton Bob Scheifler
    Hania Gajewska Ralph Swick
    Jordan Hubbard Mike Wexler
    Kerry Kimbrough Glenn Widener
    Audrey Ishizaki

    For the Device Color Characterization section:

    In addition, thanks are due to those who contributed to the public review:
    Gary Combs John Irwin
    Errol Crary Vania Joloboff
    Nancy Cyprych John Laporta
    John Diamant Ken Lee
    Clive Feather Stuart Marks
    Burns Fisher Alan Mimms
    Richard Greco Colas Nahaboo
    Tim Greenwood Mark Patrick
    Kee Hinckley Steve Pitschke
    Brian Holt Brad Reed
    John Interrante John Thomas

    Everything (except arrow pictures) in one tar.gz file (~ 71 kbytes)

    Table of contents

    More X documentation...


    Christophe Tronche, ch@tronche.com