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From: haynes@DECWRL.DEC.COM.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: remote xterms
Message-ID: <8704180038.AA13373@vulcan.dec.com>
Date: Fri, 17-Apr-87 20:07:54 EST
Article-I.D.: vulcan.8704180038.AA13373
Posted: Fri Apr 17 20:07:54 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Apr-87 08:23:10 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: world
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 21

You are talking about remote initiation of programs. If you reflect
upon the problem for a moment, you will realize that there is no way
for "X" to request remote initiation of programs, unless there is some
sort of "X" agent already running on that system.

The remote initiation problem isn't something that X should address.
It's already addressed by the rsh "protocol" under unix, but it is a
strictly operating system dependent problem (at this time).

Can you think of a way that you'd like to have it done? Remember "there
is no magic", in particular how do you propose to tell arbirtrary
operating systems over arbitrary communication protocols to remotely
initiate an arbitrary user process in some arbitrary context
(environment/search path/etc.)? Don't forget to authenticate the
requestor. If you postulate a user agent on the remote system, and
define a protocol to it you can solve the problem, but it is a separate
solution, and not part of X.

The X protocol (wisely) doesn't touch this can of worms.

	-- Charles