                      README for XFree86[tm] 4.3.99.903

                          The XFree86 Project, Inc

                              18 December 2003

                                  Abstract

     XFree86 is an Open Source version of the X Window System that sup-
     ports many UNIX(R) and UNIX-like operating systems (such as Linux,
     FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Solaris x86) on Intel and other plat-
     forms.  This version is compatible with X11R6.6.

1.  What is XFree86 4.3.99.903?

XFree86 4.3.99.903 is a pre-release snapshot of XFree86 4.5.0.  This snapshot
is release candidate 3 for version 4.5.0.  Pre-release snapshots are provided
for beta testing.  You should only install snapshots if you're comfortable
dealing with possibly unstable beta-level software.  If you find problems
with this snapshot, you are encouraged to report your findings to the public
XFree86 mailing list: <devel@XFree86.org>.

XFree86 4.3.99.903 is a feature-complete snapshot of XFree86 4.5.0.

XFree86 4.x is the current XFree86 release series.  The first release in this
series was in early 2000.  The core of XFree86 4.x is a modular X server.
Specific release enhancements can be viewed in the Release Notes.

Most modern PC video hardware is supported in XFree86 4.3.99.903, and most PC
video hardware that isn't supported explicitly can be used with the "vesa"
driver.  The Releaes Notes has a table showing the drivers provided with
XFree86 4.3.99.903, and links to related documentation.

XFree86 is produced by The XFree86 Project, Inc, which is a group of mostly
volunteer independent developers.  XFree86 is a non-commercial organisation,
and would not be viable without the invaluable development contributions of
volunteers.  This release is dedicated to the greater XFree86 community.

2.  Redistribution of Snapshots

While the XFree86 License doesn't prohibit vendors and others redistributing
binaries of this snapshot release, we don't recommend including them in pro-
duction releases.

3.  Licensing

XFree86 source code is covered by many licenses.  All of these licenses have
in common the fact that they do not impose conditions on the modification or
redistribution or either source code or binaries other than requiring that
the copyright and/or license notices are left intact, and in some cases, that
attributions are included with documentation accompanying binaries.  Most of
these licenses are based on the MIT or BSD licenses, and all of them are con-
sistent with the Open Source definition.

Copyright and Licensing information for XFree86, including the attributions
required by some of the licenses for binary distributions, can be found in
the License Document.

4.  Pointers to additional information

The documentation for this release can be found online at the XFree86 web
site <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/4.3.99.903/>.  Documentation for the latest
release version can always be found here <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/cur-
rent/>, and documentation for the latest pre-release snapshot can be found
here <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/snapshot/>.  Checking those last two links
is a good way of finding out the latest versions available from XFree86.

Information about binary distributions and the attendant installation
instructions can be found in the Installation Document.

The XFree86 version numbering system (including historical information) can
be found in the Versions Document.

Additional information may be available at the XFree86 web site
<URL:http://www.xfree86.org/>, and pointers to other information are avail-
able at the XFree86 support page <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/support.html>.

5.  The Public Mailing Lists

Current information about the XFree86 public mailing lists can be found at
our web site <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/lists.html>.

5.1  CVS Commit

For those who want to see what has been committed recently to our CVS reposi-
tory this is the list that will show you those updates.  This list is updated
dynamically every time the repository is updated after the the commit hap-
pens.

5.2  Devel

This list is available for discussions about XFree86 development and for fol-
lowing up well-defined bug reports.  Many experienced XFree86 developers are
present on this list.

5.3  XFree86

This list is available for any discussions and questions related to XFree86.
Support related questions should be sent here.  Many experienced XFree86
developers monitor this list.

5.4  Forum

This list is available for high level discussions about XFree86 and related
technologies, their future, and for inter-project communication.

6.  Contributing to XFree86

If you have any new work or enhancements/bug fixes for existing work, please
submit them to <patch@XFree86.org> or to our bug tracking system
<URL:http://bugs.xfree86.org/>.  This will ensure that they are included in
future releases.  New works should be discussed on our <devel@XFree86.org>
list prior to submission.

Current information about the XFree86 development process can be found at our
web site <URL:http://www.xfree86.org/developer.html>.

7.  How to get XFree86 4.3.99.903

XFree86 4.3.99.903 can be found at the XFree86 ftp server
<URL:ftp://ftp.xfree86.org/pub/XFree86/snapshots/4.3.99.903/>, and at mirrors
of this server.  This snapshot is available primarily in binary form for sev-
eral popular platforms.

The XFree86 source code for this and all releases/snapshots as well as devel-
opment versions can also be accessed via the XFree86 CVS repository.  Infor-
mation about accessing this can be found at the CVS page
<URL:http://www.xfree86.org/cvs/> on our web site.  It's also possible to
browse the XFree86 CVS repository at our CVSWeb server
<URL:http://cvsweb.xfree86.org/>.  The CVS tag for this version is
"xf-4_3_99_903".  To check out the latest development version, don't specify
any tag.

8.  Reporting Bugs

Bugs should be reported to <XFree86@XFree86.org>.  Before reporting bugs,
please check the XFree86 server log file, which can be found at
/var/log/XFree86.0.log on most platforms.  If you can't resolve the problem
yourself, send the entire log file with your bug report but not the operating
system core dump.  Do not edit  the log file as our developers use it to
reproduce and debug your problem.

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