GNOME Clipboard Daemon - your clipboard will actually work (GnomeDesktop) [LWN.net]

GnomeDesktop.org mentions the GNOME Clipboard Daemon as a solution to some of the problems with cut and paste operations under the X window system. "Normally, when you copy something in an X application and you close it, the content of the clipboard is lost. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why people keep saying that copy & paste in Linux "doesn't work"."

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There is no clipboard in X

Posted Jan 29, 2004 15:52 UTC (Thu) by mark625 (guest, #13741) [Link]

The whole problem with "copy/paste" under X is one of terminology and expectations. First, there is no clipboard in X, at all. In other words there is no dedicated buffer where 'copied' data is temporarily stored until it is pasted. X was designed that way on purpose to reduce memory demands and increase performance on the feeble systems of yesteryear.

Second, since there is no clipboard, there can be no "copy/paste" operation. No, what we have with X is "select/paste". The selected text/objects are made available to other applications via X calls, but the data is not copied until the user "pastes." And that is what we should be calling it, "select/paste", so that everyone will understand what's happening and why X differs from Windows.

Anyways, I think select/paste is easier and quicker than the select/copy/paste steps required under other GUI's.

Cheers!

There is no clipboard in X

Posted Jan 30, 2004 4:57 UTC (Fri) by Luyseyal (guest, #15693) [Link]

I thought X had a clipboard, but since all developers have to 1) agree to use it and 2) agree on API... therein lays the rub...

-l