Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!pa.dec.com!kaputt!neideck
From: neideck@kaputt.enet.dec.com (Burkhard Neidecker-Lutz)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: Summary of info on "Shared X" systems [130 lines]
Message-ID: <1991May28.110622.11959@pa.dec.com>
Date: 28 May 91 11:06:22 GMT
References: <1991May24.170050.25768@spectra.com>
Sender: news@pa.dec.com (News)
Organization: CEC Karlsruhe
Lines: 64

In article <1991May24.170050.25768@spectra.com> scott@spectra.com (Tim Scott) writes:

>This is a modified X library (shXlib) which can be used to provide "naive" 
>X applications with the capability to work with several displays 
>simultaneously, dynamically add and remove new displays, and hand input 
>control from display to display.  Since it is a library, you must have
>the source of the client to relink. 

You don't need sources, we provide you a protocol bridge. It has been
in the files on export.lcs.mit.edu and gatekeeper.dec.com from day one.

>4. X conferencing project (UNC)
>
> Our system is distinguished by the
>fact that we've solved a number of hard/awkward problems that other's
>haven't addressed (like the ability to allow remote users to join a
>conference already in progress.)
>
>"The system runs under X11R4.  We've been using it on Sun-3s, Sun-4s, 
>DEC 3100s, and the IBM RS/6000."

Ahem, shX runs on DECstations, VAXstations , SUN 3's and SUN 4's,
has been demoed against AUX servers and is used by folks at IBM. It
handles dynamic addition (and deletion) of new users (late comers)
can handle multiple conference sets simultaneously and performs
a pretty good job in mapping visuals of different kinds between
say 1-bit and 8 bit machines. Granted, the version we have internally
is somewhat better than what is on USENET.

Unlike the HP folks we don't need to change your X server, so
it is readily available to anybody on the same network. In fact,
the machine that runs the protocol bridge (shXbridge) doesn't
have to be a machine with a X display at all (we offer shX as
a network service to our VMS machines from a DECStation 5000/200
on the net).

>5. Unknown
>
>I received some mentions of other possible systems, but I haven't yet
>received any information about them.  These may not even be X based, but
>might be groupware.  For your information, here is the list:
>Dialogo    Lantz and Lauwers [1988], Olivetti Research Center
>

This is a strange one. It was X based but multiplexes by running
replicas of the application (!!) on the different machines and
then feeds them the same input (sort of what XTrap is about).
Get's interesting when they try to replicate the rest of the
environment the multiplexed application needs (i.e. two replicas
of an editor trying to edit the same file...). Chris Lauwers demoed
it to me a few days before the whole Lab was literally nuked by shortsighted
management at Olivetti.


>Shadows    John Patterson
>           Bellcore, 445 South St., Morristown, NJ 07962-1910, USA

He presented this at the 4th annual X technical conference (1990).
It didn't handle anything but monochrome and relied on perfect
backingstore. Good talk though.


		Burkhard Neidecker-Lutz (CEC Karlsruhe, Project NESTOR)
		shx@nestvx.enet.dec.com