What is it: The X Windows System is a portable,
network-transparent window system. It is what makes Unix look like
the MacOS or Windows with dialog boxes, menus, etc.
X remote w/ ssh: ssh can configure your remote x session for
you. How to do this depends on which version of ssh you have.
ssh -X theta.cis.ohio-state.edu
#with the version on debian
man ssh
#for how to do it with your version
vnc (eXceed): Remote access to a full X Session, as if you were
on the computer. You are doing this now, the terminals you're using
are talking to a machine which may be anywhere on the internet. I
recommend using vnc as it is generally faster on low bandwidth
networks.
see http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~rowland/vnc
DISPLAY, xhost. If you don't use ssh, then you may have to
configure the DISPLAY variable and the xhost permissions by hand. Its
best to use ssh!
window managers and windowing environments
gnome
KDE
fvwm
sawfish
which to choose? Everyone likes a different one! Try using
gnome and KDE if you like fancy stuff.
