Cron/Xwindows

[Daniel Matthis]

Jonathan Hutchins wrote:

> On Thursday 23 October 2003 01:26 pm, Daniel Matthis wrote:
> 
> 
>>Thats sounds more like devolve into the old Windows/Mac single user
>>model. Just in case you haven't noticed even Windows is realizing a true
>>multi user environment is better than a single user one (See Windows XP).
> 
> 
> They are not targeting multiple simultaneous users though - that's still a 
> pretty obscure offshoot where Citrix is still the dominant player.  That's 
> also distictly a server environment, not a workstation environment, something 
> that would be selected for at install time.

Thats also changing faster since the inclusion of RDP since Windows 
2000. So Like I said, even Windows is realizing a true multiuser 
environment is better than a single user one.

>  
>>Sorry I don't think so. First a lot of Linux systems don't even use the
>>desktop. 
> 
> 
> Right.  As long as the Linux desktop remains an obscure, difficult, 
> inneficient system with defaults for configurations that haven't run in 
> twenty years, we can expect that to continue.
> 

Defaults in linux can be changed and some are configured at install 
time. In the case of Linux breaking into the desktop workstation 
environment, look at Texas and Hollywood's Graphic artists. You also 
should look at what some of the universities are doing to increase 
terminal (computer) access by using Linux for the workstations instead 
of spending $200+ per terminal for Windows. As for inefficient I'd like 
to know what exactly is inefficient about it? Biggest problem we have 
with Desktops is the choices. Gnome, KDE, Enlightenment, etc. There's 
just so many to choose from and for many in the Business sector they 
just want one common interface while many others want customizable 
interfaces.

> 
>>Actaully I know this one, It's fun to run a script that changes a users
>>CDE (AIX UNIX) desktop background to various colors or spam them with 50
>>XClocks on their desktop. But that is only on days that we techs get
>>really board :D
> 
> 
> Which makes it clear that *NIX is NOT ready for the modern multi-user 
> environment, or there would be access rights control to prevent such things.  
> (Of course, you're talking about people who should have root access anyway, 
> so maybe that's the reason.)
> 

Yah should be root access type stuff but it's not. Right now part of the 
security is through obscurity. BUT there are security controls. I know 
Redhat is setup by default to ask if you want to allow a remote call to 
display to your screen if it isn't from the same server as the Desktop.

I would ask you to define something so we are all on the same page. What 
do you see as 'modern multi-user' environments?

As for single user environments I think Linux still a good environment 
for a single computer even with using X Windows. I'm not sure what you 
really gain by trying something else that "only" works for a single 
screen environment that X Windows can't already adequately give. Now I 
would agree that sometimes remembering the DISPLAY variable is a pain 
and it would be nice if the system just assumed that its the local 
computer if the DISPLAY wasn't set. I'm still unsure if that would cause 
more problems then it would solve as setting the variable is pretty trivial.

- Daniel