This same "resize and it appears" behaviour is on RedHat 7, at least so I've heard from the RedHat developers I know. Seemingly there's a fix in the XFree CVS in file ".../xc/programs/xmessage/makeform.c" between v1.4 and v1.5 for this very problem.
Kenny. >>>>> "Torbjörn" == Torbjörn Andersson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Torbjörn> Frank Belew wrote: >> The problem is that when I did "xmessage -f >> /path/to/messagefile" it showed no real text, just an empty >> white box, and an Ok button. Torbjörn> Stupid question, perhaps, but is the box still empty if Torbjörn> you increase the size of the window? I've only used Torbjörn> xmessage for one-liners, but ever since I started using Torbjörn> XFree86 4.0.1 I had to resize the xmessage window to be Torbjörn> at least one pixel taller than it is by default, or the Torbjörn> text area would appear as just an empty box. Torbjörn> This happenes both with the Debian packages, and with Torbjörn> the version I compiled myself when 4.0.1 was first Torbjörn> released. It would be interesting to know if it happens Torbjörn> to anyone else or if I'm the only one seeing it. (I Torbjörn> tried reporting it upstreams but I so far I haven't Torbjörn> heard anything about it.) -- Kenny ADML Support, EUCS, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland.