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Making Mac OS X Work Like X Windows?

X Fiend asks: "Is it possible to configure Mac OS X's window manager to run in a client-server mode like X Windows? I'd like to use my (rather anemic) iBook as an X Terminal, with apps running on my (manly dual-processor) desktop machine, but I don't want to have to use X Windows to do it- I want to use Mac OS X's native window manager. Any ideas?"

3 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. In theory... by sco08y · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In theory, all IPC is done through Mach messages, whether the underlying transport is TCP/IP or shared memory.

    In theory, you can intercept messages between two ports and run them through arbitrary filters.

    Since the window server process is nothing but another port to Mach, you *should* be able to catch everything going to it, send it over the network and have it appear on another Window Server on another machine.

    In practice there would be a lot of details to take care of like configuration and non-display. But the nature of Mach is that any IPC can be generalized to take place over any kind of network connection.

  2. Next version of OS X? by SlamMan · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The rumor mills seem to think this'll be available in a future version of OS X.

    See macosrumors.com

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  3. Here you go! by SHEENmaster · · Score: 3, Interesting

    OS X is just whoring the letter X as the X-box is. X was first used in a computer project in X10 and later X11(unrelated, but much more fun).

    If OS X is gonna whore the name around, they should do so with style rather than beauty.

    To the original author, just do what I did and install Linux on your iBook. If necessary you can run MoL on your dual processing G4 and run it remotely on your iBook. I use MoL for programs such as Bryce and Flash MX with no trouble to speak of. Configuring networking will be a bitch, I warn you.

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