[H-GEN] Desktop wars ..... (no not really)

Paul Gearon pag at PISoftware.com
Thu Jun 26 20:52:08 EDT 2003


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On Thu, 26 Jun 2003, Jason Parker-Burlingham wrote:

> Robert Brockway <robert at timetraveller.org> writes:
>
> > [1] Actually, the most beautiful thing about X is probably network
> > transparency.
>
> Damn straight.  I remember using a very early version of the GNOME
> panel over a network connection with two modems between the server and
> client.
>
> It wasn't *so* awful, actually...

I can't tell you how useful this is, but I guess I'm preaching to the
converted.  Even MS has recognised the need for this with their recent
invention of remote desktops (for values of recent approaching a couple of
years, but it's only just now coming into more common usage).

As an extension of X, I'm still amazed to see OpenGL operate transparently
over a network (especially when programming it myself).  This is one of
the reasons I see it as superior to DirectX.

Now if only I could send sound over the network as well... I need never
know there was a network between me and my X client.  I've seen one of the
original designers of X lament this inadequacy, so I know I'm not the only
one.

(Oh, and I'm looking forward to the day when we have realtime MPEG4
encoding, or something like it, so we can show video transparently over X
as well)

Regards,
Paul Gearon

Software Engineer                Telephone:   +61 7 3876 2188
Plugged In Software              Fax:         +61 7 3876 4899
http://www.PIsoftware.com        PGP Key available via finger

Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.
(Translation from latin: "I have a catapult. Give me all the money,
or I will fling an enormous rock at your head.")



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