Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Apple Explains How to Run X11 on Mac OS X

Posted by michael on from the having-it-your-way dept.

tuc writes "In this document posted on its Developer Connection, Apple explains how to install X11R6 on Mac OS X, details of the default quartz-wm window manager, how to compile X11 code on Mac OS X, how to install OpenOffice, and the like."

13 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Weird by pclminion · · Score: 5, Interesting
    How weird -- I'm right in the middle of doing exactly this (trying to port one of our UNIX products over to run on Mac OS X using an X server).

    I think I'll wait to RTFA until after I've tried everything on my own first. Nothing like thrashing randomly to help you learn about a system :-)

  2. The real question by product+byproduct · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do they pronounce it 10-11?

    1. Re:The real question by Captoo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Is Apple going II use Roman numerals IV OS XI? By the way, If I were a Roman script kiddie, I'd be lIIIIIIt. :-)

    2. Re:The real question by Minstrel+Boy · · Score: 5, Funny
      Yes, and OS X does come with the vi editor, as well. But you have to pronounce it "six". ;)

      KeS

  3. Step 1: Double click X11.app by punkass · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Step 2: There is no step 2!

    --
    "Nobody owns the fucking words man." - James Dean
    1. Re:Step 1: Double click X11.app by Alien+Being · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but which mouse button do I use? Oh, never mind.

  4. Re:unix? by pclminion · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Yes, Mac OS X is based on BSD. This doesn't necessarily mean that UNIX software will compile and work unmodified. As an example, my company makes products that run on Windows as well as various UNIX variants, including HP-UX, Solaris, Irix, BSD, various SysV-like systems, etc.

    Believe me, you do not want to see what the Makefiles for a piece of software like that look like. We're talking about the era before GNU-style "configure" scripts and Makefile modularity. It's hideous. But it works. And it makes the differences between the various UNIX platforms as clear as day.

    Right now, I'm in the middle of porting our main project to run on OS X, so this article is very timely. To be honest, I anticipate that the majority of the difficulty will be in getting the make system to run correctly, and possibly fixing a number of linker issues. I expect that the code itself will work almost unmodified.

  5. Remote Applications by fm6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's worth remembering that an X application doesn't have to run on the same system as the terminal. So even if you can't get the source code, you might be able to run the software, provided you're willing to spring for a Unix box the software supports. That might be useful for people who need commercial applications (such as FrameMaker) which are no longer available for the Mac, but is still supported for Solaris.

  6. Re:Reaction to OpenOffice by Scrameustache · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IMHO this is a reaction to the announcement that no aquafied OpenOffice is planned.
    Apple doesn't want people to think they are locked into MS Office (hope it continues to support Mac OS X).
    This way, Apple can say commercial grade alternatives do exist.

    No, this is.

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

  7. For the security guys by Dark+Paladin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I rather like how the instructions talk about how to run X11 remotely, and the first thing they do is tell how to do it over ssh, with simple, easy to understand directions on how to do it. That is how "how to" manuals should be written.

    2 points to Apple for doing that, and making my coworkers jobs a little harder (they're penetration testers).

    --
    52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
  8. Re:Reaction to OpenOffice by JJahn · · Score: 5, Informative

    To those who want an aquafied OpenOffice, please check out NeoOffice. They are working to make OpenOffice more MacOS native. Currently, they have removed the need for X11, put in Aquafied menus, and native printer and font support. Sure, its not perfect yet, but its getting there.

  9. I found Abiword to be much easier than OO by sesshomaru · · Score: 5, Informative
    If all you need is a word processor, there's a native version of AbiWord for OSX that seems to work great:

    http://www.abisource.com/

    I could never get OO to work on OS X, though I use it on my Windows Machine.

    --
    "MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
  10. Please don't use X11 OpenOffice on OS X by VAXGeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you want OpenOffice on OS X, help make one of the NATIVE ports more popular by using it. NeoOffice/J It's a totally native client that uses Java to render the UI. (Native Java? These are strange days.) Please help keep X11 apps off OS X.
    I realize we're stuck with X11 on Unix, but if you're sitting on top of Quartz, might as well use it, no?

    --
    this sig limit is too small to put anything good h