Glossary
A
AutoOrtho
A tool for X-Plane that integrates orthophotos directly into the flight simulator. It enables streaming of high-resolution aerial imagery as ground textures without the need to download and convert them beforehand. The software can be installed either as a pre-built binary or from source code.
B
Binary
A pre-compiled, executable file of a program. Unlike installation from source code, a binary can be executed directly without requiring additional compilation steps.
Blade Element Theory
A calculation method in aerodynamics where an aircraft is divided into many small segments to simulate airflow and forces in real-time.
C
Custom Scenery
A directory in X-Plane where additional scenery files are stored. This is also where AutoOrtho's generated ortho textures are integrated.
D
Docker
A platform for containerizing applications that enables packaging and running software in standardized units (containers). Docker simplifies the deployment and management of applications across different environments.
DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support)
A framework that enables automatic recompilation of kernel modules when kernel updates occur. Particularly important for drivers like Nvidia that are not included in the standard kernel.
Dynamic Libraries
Also known as shared libraries, these are reusable collections of program code that can be loaded and shared by different programs at runtime. They typically have a .so (shared object) extension on Linux and allow for more efficient memory usage and easier updates.
F
FAA
Federal Aviation Administration - the US aviation authority that sets standards for flight simulations and training devices.
G
GUI (Graphical User Interface)
A graphical user interface that enables interaction with a program through graphical elements such as windows, buttons, and menus. In AutoOrtho, the GUI is used to configure the X-Plane directory and load ortho sets.
H
HDR
High Dynamic Range - a graphics technique that can display a particularly large brightness range, leading to more realistic lighting effects.
K
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
A virtualization solution integrated into the Linux kernel that enables running virtual machines with near-native performance. KVM utilizes hardware virtualization features of modern processors for efficient virtualization.
L
ldd
A command-line program in Linux that displays all dynamic library dependencies of an executable file. It is an important diagnostic tool for identifying missing or incompatible libraries required for running a program like X-Plane.
Linux
A free, open-source operating system known for its stability, security, and adaptability.
Liquorix Kernel
An optimized version of the Linux kernel focused on performance. Often provides better response times and performance for desktop systems and gaming.
N
Nouveau
The default open-source driver for Nvidia graphics cards in Linux. Often disabled when installing the proprietary Nvidia driver.
Nvidia Driver
Proprietary driver software from Nvidia for their graphics cards. Compared to the open-source Nouveau driver, it often provides better performance and more features, especially for 3D applications and gaming.
O
Ortho4XP
A tool for creating photorealistic landscape textures for X-Plane from various satellite image sources.
Orthophotos
Orthophotos (or orthoimages) are geometrically corrected aerial photographs of the Earth's surface. In X-Plane, they are used as high-resolution ground textures to achieve a realistic representation of the landscape.
P
PBR
Physically Based Rendering - a graphics technique that simulates physical properties of materials and light to create realistic representations.
Plugin
A software extension that adds additional functionality to X-Plane. Plugins can be developed by third parties.
pyenv
A tool for managing multiple Python versions on a system. It allows installation and use of multiple Python versions side by side without affecting the system Python.
S
scenery_packs.ini
A configuration file in X-Plane's Custom Scenery folder that determines the load order of installed scenery. AutoOrtho automatically adds entries with the prefix z_ao_ here.
Single-CPU
Describes the current architecture of X-Plane, where the main simulation runs on a single processor core.
T
32-Bit Compatibility
The ability of a 64-bit Linux system to run and support 32-bit applications and libraries. This may be necessary for some programs or plugins that have not yet been optimized for 64-bit architectures. In Debian, 32-bit support is activated by adding the i386 architecture and installing corresponding libraries.
V
Vulkan API
A modern, cross-platform graphics interface with low overhead used by X-Plane for graphics rendering. Compared to OpenGL, Vulkan often provides better performance through more efficient CPU usage and more direct GPU control.
W
Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator)
A compatibility layer that enables running Windows programs on Linux. Wine translates Windows API calls to POSIX calls without emulating Windows itself.
X
X-Plane
A highly realistic flight simulator available for various platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux).
Xroads
A library for X-Plane 11 & 12 that optimizes the display of roads in Ortho4XP scenery.