Subject: X Windows Question
To: None <rhopkins@sunflower.com>
From: Ivan Curtis <icurtis@radlogic.com.au>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 09/02/1997 08:58:20
"Rodney M. Hopkins" <rhopkins@sunflower.com> writes:
> I've recently started running MacBSD on my SE/30 with 8M RAM and 250M disk.
>  From what I understand there is no color X Windows on this platform.  The
> question I have is, if I get X Windows running on this machine, can it act
> as an X-Server so that I can run X-Windows applications off of the SE/30
> machine assuming I have an X client for the other machine?  Will the
> X-Windows served up from the SE/30 to another machine be in color assuming
> the other machine is in fact color?

The short answer is yes, you can run x applications on the se/30 which
show up on another display, and they will be able to take advantage of
the capabilities of the remote display (colour, hi-res etc).

Just to clarify the terminology, an "X server" is the thing which runs
the display and pointer. It provided services to a "client", which is
a program which wants to draw something. Don't get stuck into thinking
the client is always the thing on your desk and the server is always
the thing in the other building.

> The reason I ask is because I have little desire to try and run X on a
> 9-inch 512x348 mono screen and I would be much happier if I can run X on
> another machine in my network and attach to the SE/30.

Yes, exactly. This is a fundamental design principle of X. You have a
nice display (server) on your desk. You run your app (client) wherever
the cycles are.

Ivan
icurtis@radlogic.com.au                                 ph: 61 8 8373-3990
Adelaide, South AUSTRALIA                               fx: 61 8 8373-3251

P.S. I am running X nicely on that 9inch display! Need more buttons on
my mouse, though.