DirectFB
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DirectFB stands for Direct Frame Buffer. It is a software library for the GNU/Linux operating system that provides "hardware graphics acceleration, input device handling and abstraction, integrated windowing system with support for translucent windows and multiple display layers on top of the Linux Framebuffer Device." [1]
The library allows developers to bypass the X Window System, which has been traditionally used to support graphics in UNIX-like operating systems. Proponents of DirectFB say this speeds up and simplifies graphic operations by allowing applications to talk directly to video hardware with a thin simple API.
It is often used in embedded systems that do not want the overhead of a full X Window System implementation. In 2006, a version of DirectFB was included in the software stack for the CE Linux Forum's Audio/Video Graphics Specification V2. [1]
DirectFB can host XDirectFB, a rootless X server implementation that uses DirectFB windows for X11 top-level windows. With XDirectFB, programmers do not have to rewrite their code to use the DirectFB API.
It is free software licensed under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).
Both LinuxTV and the Palm Foleo mobile companion use DirectFB.