>>11
At least the configuration is text-based, unlike the registry in win32. User interfaces aren't simple, and something with scope like X is doubly complex.
That said, I'm really looking forward to the day when XCB finally becomes the de facto low-level client interface to the X protocol. Xlib, holy fuck that's horrible like some "hay guys I just lerned C 2 months ago"'s code that's got home-grown conventions all over. (#define nil NULL)