On Thu, May 03, 2007 at 05:20:08PM -0400, Russ Cox wrote:
>+ X11 selections v.  Pasteboard
>
>X11 doesn't have a snarf buffer.  Instead it has an idea of which
>window currently "owns" the snarf (X11 would say `selection'), and
>when you want to find the snarf contents you go ask the current owner.
>There is no central buffer like on Plan 9's /dev/snarf or the Windows
>clipboard.  (In addition to making things a lot more complicated, this
>means that snarf contents do not persist once their owner exits.  But
>that particular problem isn't relevant here.)

As if that weren't bad enough, X11 *also* has central buffers, "cut 
buffers", which are deprecated, but still used by some apps. And there 
are 3 selections, PRIMARY, SECONDARY, and CLIPBOARD. Some apps, 
expecially browsers and Gnome/KDEish apps, tend to use the PRIMARY and 
CLIPBOARD selections, depending on what you're doing (middle click 
pastes the PRIMARY, ^V pastes the CLIPBOARD). It's a terrific mess.

But let's not sully this list with X11 insanity any more.

-- 
Kris Maglione

If you lived here you'd be home now.