Re: X-Windows and PCs

[Tim Sullivan x5830 <sullivan@KENYON.EDU>]

> I have a UNIX machine in my office and a Windows-95 PC at home. A number of
> UNIX-based programs such as X-View and Mathematica require the X-Windows
> environment to run. To get my e-mail when I'm at home, I telnet to our UNIX
> system at school. Works fine, but that's text only. What I'd like to know
> is whether there is any software that would allow me to run UNIX X-Windows
> programs remotely at home from Windows 95 over a modem connetion? Even
> better, shareware? Money is an object! If anybody has any experience doing
> this, I would very much appreciate hearing from you.

> Thanks.

> Ken Morgan


Let me give you hope even if I can't provide many details being away from home
this year.

Since you are using telnet to connect to the remote system, that means you have
a TCP/IP link to the UNIX system, which is what you need. A minor challenge
will be to discover the TCP/IP address for your system, which will change each
time you log on in most dial up systems.

There is a free version of an X server available for Win95. It is distributed
by a company that makes a fancy geographic software system that needs X Windows
to run. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name! I tried it out on a 200MHz
machine and it worked great connected to a Linux system on our local network. I
suspect that an internet search for X servers for Windows will turn it up.

Running X over a 28k modem line might be pretty slow however, depending on how
graphic intensive your applications are. I did know someone who used X running
on Linux at home connecting to Sun workstations at work and was reasonably
happy.

Good luck. Sorry not to be of more help.

Tim Sullivan
sullivan@kenyon.edu