Who Needs XFree86?

An anonymous reader writes "With this review Linux and Main says it is kicking off a project to put together a Linux machine that operates entirely in the console, including applications, without the user ever having to enter anything at a command prompt. The review is of Twin, the very cool windowing environment for the console. Applications will be added over time, and readers are invited to nominate their favorite little-known console applications."

Comments

X (and other Window systems) reduce productivity

[eludom]

In my experience, firing up a windowing system
tends to reduce productivity. A simple text
based console app allows you to focus w/o
disractions.

In years past, I knew of someone who used
emacs as his login shell :-)

---eludom

Re:Yes..

[Libor Vanek]

You know - maybe it's not so perverted after all - if it can use framebuffer and somebody sometime will implement AA into FB... who knows...

Directfb/fresco?

[Anonymous Coward]

These two projects are trying to develop "real" alternatives to X.

Fresco is dead, but Directfb already has full gnome support, X emulation, mplayer support, alpha blending, and hardware accelleration and because it uses the same technology as the penguin logo on bootup, its fast!. This is a REAL alternative to X, and I hope you give it more support.

Directfb homepage

Re:Useful for Remote Server Administration

[Zigg]

Sounds like you really want screen. (Yes, it does split screen.

Alternatively...

[Ed Avis]

If you want to switch between console applications but you don't need a 'windowing' environment, you can use screen(1). What I do is this on every ssh login:

% exec screen -E '^Z^Z' -D -R

This brings up my applications exactly how I left them last time. Then C-z c starts a new screen, C-z 0 through C-z 9 switches between screens, C-z C-z sends a literal ^Z, and C-z d disconnects. I normally have pine running in terminal zero, XEmacs in terminal one, then top(1) and maybe a shell in two more terminals. This is much handier than having to start applications every time you log in, and essential over a noisy modem line where the ssh connection might suddenly cut out. If it does, just reconnect, run the above command and everything is just as you left it.

Speaking of Emacs, you can do most things inside that including making shell and terminal buffers, so in a way it provides a windowing system like Twin.