I’d like to be able to draw on the root window in Linux.
I.e. make an OSD.
I’m using Gnome.
Code samples or links to them would be appreciated.
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It is possible, but you will not see anything in GNOME. Nautilus, GNOME’s file manager, opens its own window on top of root X window to display icons. Because of that the root X window is fully covered… so there is no point in drawing on it.
If you want to make OSD, either you should use a library like XOSD, or open your own X window and make it translucent. In fact, XOSD’s source code should be a good example of how to do this.
Whole library seems to be implemented in one file: xosd.c.