XWin32

[chenchow]

I was asking about XWin32, and this is the explanation Jiin Joo provided, may be others could learn a bit about it as well.. Thanks, Jiin Joo!


XWin32, or X-windows, are X-forwarding software that allows you to have
your linux desktop exported to your remote windows desktop.

That doesn't help does it.

Let me go further down. Just think of X as the GUI basics on linux.
Usually when you use a linux desktop, you have this X thing
communicating with the system for information, and passing the
information up to the "desktop" like gnome or whatever you like to use
as a desktop. You don't have this concept of desktop separate from the
OS in windows or mac coz they hide it from you (if you're familiar with
windows, their version is called terminal services).

Now say that you have some linux boxes being shared somewhere. Then
usually what you do is you telnet / ssh etc to the machine to do your
work. However, this won't allow you to use the "GUI" software on the
linux boxes, coz it cannot display on your terminal. So you need some
support for getting the picture displayed on your screen on your home
computer. That's where software like XWin32, Exceed, VNC, XFree86 etc
comes in, each using slightly different techniques, to communicate
between Your desktop and the linux OS (instead of having it within the
same box).

[bachok83]

hmm nice explaination chenchow, lately, xwin32 has trouble connecting to several different host on windows xp,

just curious if anybody encounters this problem, dont hesitate to post here your problem, i'll try to help to make that xwin32 to work.

since it requires several different steps, so i cannot just post the steps, i need to go through the process :P

[royston]

Hi Chenchow,

To further the explanation and make it simple, basically UNIX base platforms such as UNIX, Linux or Solaris, they can have multi windows, or so-called X-windows. Since they are different with Microsoft Windows, if we wish to get connected with them, we need a simulator to simulate those windows (the environment).

But as what I know, we still can use Telnet to connect and access to their platform but with only a single window. Anyway, as long as you can get connected to it, that should be fine.

Am I correct guys?

~ roy ~

[littlebigone]

i think VNC has only one window. It's like a window to the desktop of the computer you're connecting to. YOu navigate and oepn programs throught that one window. But Xwin i thihk allows you to open windows and programs as if you were really the other computer. So if you open emacs or something, a real window actually pops up on your com.

[royston]

Yeah, agree. Let me try to find some easier way to have multi sessions and simple to use. After that I will share it here to all members ... :wink: