X11/unix applications

[nesbitt_a]

X11 is a mac OS implementation of the typical linux/unix X server for displaying windows etc. But what can it really do?

Personally, I've just installed fink from http://fink.sourceforge.net, along side the apple developer tools available from their mac os x installation cd/dvd. Running 'fink list' shows the endless possibilities for software that can be installed, such as the pine news/mail reader, or the GAIM instant messaging client. Handy.


What is everyone else using their x11/unix for? Anyone doing cool things, or with cool ideas, why not share.

 

[caveman_uk]

X11 is a mac OS implementation of the typical linux/unix X server for displaying windows etc. But what can it really do?

Personally, I've just installed fink from http://fink.sourceforge.net, along side the apple developer tools available from their mac os x installation cd/dvd. Running 'fink list' shows the endless possibilities for software that can be installed, such as the pine news/mail reader, or the GAIM instant messaging client. Handy.


What is everyone else using their x11/unix for? Anyone doing cool things, or with cool ideas, why not share.

The X11 port is just a way of getting unix/linux apps GUI apps to work on Mac OS X which uses it's own proprietary windowing system. I haven't used it for a while but there's an excellent newsreader called Pan which will run on X11. It has a lot of dependencies (most of the gnome libraries for a start) but it is very good and free.

 

[Westside guy]

Another useful (to some of us anyway) aspect of X11 is it's network-able. So I can SSH to another Mac or a Linux box (or whatever) and run applications that require X.

(You don't really have to do this over SSH, but it can handle what's known as X11 forwarding without leaving any extra ports open)

Note that, by default, this functionality is turned off on Mac OS X. You either have to use the command line argument to enable it on a per-case basis (ssh -X hostname), or else modify your /etc/ssh_config file so it's on by default (add a line "ForwardX11 yes" to the file).

 

[superbovine]

gimps is cool if you don't want to buy photoshop.

the program i use the most is ethereal though.

 

[nesbitt_a]

Anyone fancy posting a tutorial on getting things like Gnome etc up and running?

-- Andrew

 

[zamyatin]

I use it for The GIMP (version 2.0 is really great) and for FreeCiv, an open source game that is quite similar to Civilization 2.

It also opens the door to many scientific applications, as I'm sure any grad students will be willing to tell you!