IDG Network:   
   








Go to Advanced Search


Computerworld Home



XML Feeds





Free E-Newsletters

Keep up on technology news and trends with our free e-mail newsletters! Select from daily and weekly updates -- including alerts and roundups by topic.
Sign up today!

Knowledge Centers

Security
Storage
Mobile & Wireless
Hardware
Business Intelligence
Networking
Software
More Knowledge Centers:


Partner Zones

Application Performance
Business Analytics
Business Integration
CRM OnDemand
Customer Integration
Government Mobility
IT Productivity
Mobile Enterprise
SSL Services
Features

Latest Headlines
This Week's Issue
Shark Tank
Research
Webcasts
White Papers
Software Downloads
Buyer's Guides
E-mail Newsletters
News Feeds


Home > Browse Topics > Software > Application Development


Q&A;: The X Factor




There's more to this story:

How thin client software cuts desktop management costs.
Thinking Thin: Thin Client Overview
Tech Check
Is Thin Client Enterprise-Ready?
Case Study: Wells Fargo's Move to MetaFrame
Dot-com job cuts continue to drop
Case Study: Feeding Off the System
Thin Clients for Tough Times
Tarantella: Beyond Windows
Chart: Thin-Client Software Compared


Other resources

E-Trade Success Story - Learn how they improved the performance of critical business applications


Q&A; by Robert L. Mitchell

FEBRUARY 04, 2002 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Long before Microsoft Corp. ever contemplated Terminal Services, the X Window System set the standard for thin-client computing. Originally developed at MIT as part of Project Athena, X remains the predominant thin-client standard for Linux and Unix applications. Computerworld asked Steve Swales, chairman of X.org and a senior manager at Sun Microsystems Inc. about the strengths and limitations of the standard -- and how it will evolve.

Q: Why use X Window?

A: It's the only choice right now for Unix and Linux for desktop applications. X is the only window system that's designed to be networked on the inside. It provides [support for] accelerated graphics hardware on the desktop. You lose that with the other kinds of [thin-client] systems. Many corporations are using it internally to deploy [computer-aided design] applications to workstations.

Q: Why not X?

A: Some would say it's complex to deploy. Part of the reason X terminals didn't catch on was the complexity of administering them. But some companies have wrapped it up and made it easy to install on a PC.

Q: Why not X over the Internet?

A: A few years back, there were efforts to push X over the Internet. "Web-enabled X" was the code name for that. But it's almost unused. The implementation is difficult to set up, [and] there are some security issues. The technology lets you take anything on your X screen and shove it out through a Web page.

It's a little bit confusing. You have to have a Java [virtual machine] on the machine where the browser is and an X server on that local machine to have the X technology work. The browser is not actually acting as an X server; it's just connecting to the X server and allowing X applications to safely display within the browser. It's confusing, and it's one of the reasons that the technology hasn't become very popular.

Q: How about X for remote office connectivity?

A: It wasn't designed for particularly low-bandwidth networks. For an individual user running over a dial-up line, you need to have some kind of compression in place.

There is an extension in place to provide a low-bandwidth implementation called LBX [low-bandwidth X]. Hummingbird has implemented that. Companies like Boeing are deploying it.

Q: X Window was in many ways the original thin-client standard. Why hasn't it seen even broader adoption?

A: A lot of it had to do with the history of X Window. The stewards of X really dribbled away to almost nothing about five or six years ago. It wasn't really keeping pace with the technology.

Q: What's next for X?

A: There's quite a lot of work happening in the area of enhancing the rendering capability to handle higher-resolution displays and high-quality text rendering. We're working on exciting technology for carrying the audio visual technology along with the X connection.

Subscribe to our Operating Systems e-mail newsletter:
E-mail ZIP Code

Application Development Section
Application Development News  |   Mobile Channel  |   E-mail newsletters
  > Application Development XML Feed    > XML Feed FAQ

Also in the Software Knowledge Center

News  |  Discussions  |  Buyers' Guides  |  Resource Links  |  White Papers  |  Mobile Channel  |  E-mail newsletters
  > Software XML Feed    > XML Feed FAQ






Additional Content
App Development White Papers

Computerworld White Papers

Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.

>META Group white paper: Emerging J2EE Challenges
>Show, Don’t Tell:
>Service Desk Evaluation Guide for the Mid-sized Business
>Communication Convergence

>View App Development whitepapers
Featured Zone

Customer Integration Zone


Siebel provides CRM solutions for any kind of organization, any type of user, and any budget. Please take a moment to explore a sample of content from the CI Zone.

Case Study: South African Revenue Service
Webinar: Enabling the Customer Driven Enterprise
Meta Report on "Universal Customer Master"


Free Report

View the report ... IP Communications
Voice-over-IP will dominate the enterprise in the next few years – are you ready? It’s a dramatic change, but Computerworld’s new Executive Bulletin on IP Communications will help you get there! Early adopters are already saving millions of dollars. In this report learn the new lingo and obtain advice from your peers on hot topics such as monitoring tools, security and ROI. Get this 49.95 value free for a limited time, compliments of Cisco.

Download this report for free





Sponsored Links

Free Verisign SSL Certificate   Don't miss the opportunity! Obtain a FREE SSL Trial ID today.

IDC: Distributed Applications Performance Management:   The VERITAS i3 Approach

Email   Security Services

White Paper:   Eight Ways an iSCSI SAN simplifies Windows Mgmt

The Guide to Cost Effective Business   Explore powerful options available to mid-sized companies

Cost Savings Through Application Performance Management   Try this interactive ROI Assessment tool

Special Report Featuring Gartner Research   on Enterprise Application Delivery

25% off component upgrades with   select Toshiba notebooks.

New HP Financial Workstations at PC Prices.   Great Values.

White Paper -   Service Desk Selection Guide for Mid-sized Business

New webcast:   Understanding how route analysis works.

Live Webcast   Latest Security Industry Trends, Delivered to You

Business Integration Glossary   This comprehensive glossary provides a definition of terms related to business integration

MS IT Secrets   Watch a live webcast. Ask field experts questions. Sign up

Download 'Rethinking the Building Blocks of Your Network'   by The Tolly Group today



   
 

Copyright © 2004 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.