[ILUG] Small Distro to use as an X server

[Ivan Griffin]

I'm beginning to agree the VM route may be your easiest.  However, it 
could be related to the window manager, hence my questions on what X 
window manager are you using, and whether you are running in an X Root 
Window (nothing to do with root superuser) or rootless (again, nothing to 
do with root superuser).



On Fri, 8 Oct 2010, Brian O'Mahony wrote:

> True. To be honest I had to explain to the tech three or four times what I was trying to do. He didn't really understand the UNIX side and X11 forwarding etc.
>
> Theory is all well and dandy, but it didn't work in this case.
>
>> I presume you are running with a root window -
>
> Yep. Clearquest has to run as root afaik



By root window, I mean with all the X apps running within the context of 
a single Windows host app/window i.e. quoting from Wikipedia 
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System):

"When an operating system with a native windowing system hosts X in 
addition, the X system can either use its own normal desktop in a separate 
host window or it can run rootless, meaning the X desktop is hidden and 
the host windowing environment manages the geometry and appearance of the 
hosted X windows within the host screen."


>
>> if so, is it possible you're running a funny window manager in the non-working case? Have you tried an
>> alternative window manager? i.e. a bog standard TWM or MWM vs Metacity, for instance?
>
> Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean on windows?
>
>> Also, have you tried the rootless version of Cygwin/X, which allows Windows to perform the window management?
>
> Didn't know there was one. But to be honest, I don't think this is an issue. Xming is pretty basic (ie works out of box pretty much) and that had the same issue.
>
> A thing to note here is the clearquest installer for AIX was exported and worked.....
>
> B
>


If you are running with an X11 Root Window, you'll need to run an X window 
manager as well. It could be that the window manager is being funky with 
certain events.

I've not kept up to date, but I recall the Inter-Client Communication 
Conventions Manual (ICCCM) standard (a set of interoperability conventions 
for X applications) being notoriously hard to implement correctly due to 
vague/bad specification.  I'm not certain if the successor Extended Window 
Manager Hints (EWMH) is any better in that regard.

If you are running in a host window, then try changing your X11 window 
manager, or try going rootless.

If you are rootless, try running in a host window.



Best Regards,
Ivan.