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X GUI

Free X Server for Windows? 27

Posted by Cliff from the world-domination-through-subversion dept.
The Famous Brett Watson writes "I'm the Acting Nerd for a nonprofit org that has old equipment and no budget, so Linux and other free-to-use software is vital. Linux is the hero of the server, but Windows is still entrenched on the desktop along with MS Office. An X Server for Windows would allow me to start the migration to Linux apps whilst allowing the mandatory dual-OS crossover period, but I can't find a free one. There was one called MI/X, but it seems to have recently undergone the nasty transformation from Free to Cheap. I refuse to believe that there is no Free X Server for That Other OS, though. I feel the perfect way to introduce Linux on the desktop is by stealth. Replacing the OS outright isn't an option sometimes, but if you start using Windows as just an X Server, there comes a time when you can replace it with XFree86/Linux directly, right?"
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Free X Server for Windows? More

Free X Server for Windows?

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  • duh... (Score:1)

    by Zurk ( 37028 )
    MIX Server (the one thats not free anymore) is the one i use (altho i have the free version). if you want to d/l the old free version you can reply to this with a suitable ftp address..i'd prefer one that everyone could d/l from...i cant keep giving ppl the old version. hopefully this is legal(?).
  • Although not an X server, VNC [att.com] is a GPL'ed remote control software which should have enough functionality for most tasks. It's availibility on different platforms [att.com] makes it a very useful tool.
  • Using Cygwin it was easy to compile e.g. Gnuplot and using it together with an existing port of xlib and former MIX as (very limited) X-Server. I have not seen a port of XFree86 yet.

    What exists and might give some hints is a port to OS/2 (the OS/2 API calls are different but the structure of PM programs is quite similiar to Win32). Then there is of course the port of GIMP to Win32. So GTK stuff should be easier to port.

  • I am surprised I havn't heard much mention of this before but, I do agree that the way to get people to even think about switching is to give them the chance to do it at their own pace.
    I am the admin for the only Linux machine in an NT environment at the small company I work for. I would like to get at least the other progrmmers in the habit of using some of the tools on this machine but I need a decent X server for windows and the comercial ones are just too expensive to justify right now.
    Has anyone thought about or even started a possible port of X to win32 that would be GPL'ed?
    I would be interested in not only using this but devel as well. I think this would be a good start to get people comfortable with a better GUI.
  • http://www.cs.brown.edu/system/software/mix/faq.ht ml

    It's an old mirror, so it's still got the free version. And, I found this on the first page of a simple google search, I didn't have to post an Ask-Slashdot!

    You should still use VNC, too, so you can migrate their GUI use, not just their app use.
  • I *love* cygwin - it keeps me somewhat sane when I have to use windoze machines.
    I haven't tried playing with it, but some people are working on a port of xfree86 to cygwin. It is still very much a work in progress, so this is only for people not afraid to get their hands dirty in code.
    You can get to the mailing list archive for porting xfree86 to cygwin at:

    The volume is pretty low and from the messages there, you can find the pointers to the tar ball, etc.
    Once this works, it will be an excellent alternative to the expensive x-servers for Windoze machines.
  • It's horrible?
    ok, the Window manager isn't the best, but it is a decent X server...
    If you can grab the old free one, is great for use, I started using it a while ago, as as a student with a limited budget, it fits my needs quite well, have had no problems with it....

  • The MIX Server is X11-R5.something
    Not very useful if you are trying to use apps
    written against X11-R6.x libraries.

  • But - the Old MI/X stuff is X11-R5.x not
    X11-R6. This makes it pretty much worthless for many things that are compiled against and use X11-R6 features.
  • There is a proggie called X-WinPro, which is very nice. Tho it is a free trial versiont that only runs 30 minutes at a time, but it's still worth a look. MI/X is ok, it's probably one of the only free servers out there, but it's based on a server of X that's about 5+ years old. So some things don't display properly.
  • I have been using VNC (available for free at:
    http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc).

    Instead of doing X over the wire, it has its own protocol. You run Xvnc on the machine where you want to run your X clients. You then run the VNC viewer on your Windows machine and it connects to Xvnc. Xvnc runs as an X server on Unix & Linux. For example, when I run it on a Sun where the console has display :0, Xvnc runs as :1. You can run multiple instances of Xvnc, too.

    VNC supports a lot of different clients, too. In addition to windows, it supports Windows CE, Mac (I think), Unix/Linux and Java (I know there are others, too).

    Also, there is a vncserver for NT that works like Xvnc in that you can connect a viewer to it, so it's like using PC Anywhere.

    Finally, you can put the vnc viewer into full-screen mode, so I can get the full 1024x768 desktop on my windows machine without having to scroll.
  • Mix is good, I've had no problems with it. I used it at school a while back. If you fiddle with the configuration files you can disable twm (its default window manager). Then you can run whatever window manager you want off of the remote linux box.

    There's another commercial server, that I toyed around with a demo, Xwin-Pro or something, its on Tucows. The nice feature was it had an option to use its own window manager, which integrated X apps with the windows title bars, minimize, etc.. I'm sure anyone that's used to windows would accept this better then any unix window manager, at first anyways. Its not free.

    A third commercial server, Omni-X, which is my personal favorite, Sells to Government and Academic licenses at a discount, maybe they could cut you a deal. www.xlink.com. My favorite feature with this one is it'll query an xdm server. You run XDM on the linux server, user starts up Omni-X, they enter their login/pass, apps and window manager start up.

    An Xserver that supports XDMCP would seem to be a must, as it would cut your administration time by quite a few factors.

    VNC was suggested, but keep in mind if you used this, you'd have to actively mantain a concurrent VNC server running for each user. They're client is incredible however, IMO. too bad it doesn't have support for straight X.

    If you have any questions, you can mail -- finale @macroshaft.org
  • There is Macintosh support. Last time I checked (7 months ago) the client software worked fine, but the VNC server for the Mac was finicky and flaky.

    The biggest problem with the scheme you describe for getting VNC to act like an X server is that in a large-ish environment it starts getting hard to manage ("Am I :23 or :24 on vncserver7 or vncserver8?"). Also, you end up with more work and probably more network traffic for the "server" machines than if you can get a real X server for the "client" machines.
  • Yes, you are right about the problem keeping track of where you are. We have a small group, so it isn't as big of a problem. We have 3 Sun's that we have to work on, and we just spawn 4 vnc's. Each of us uses the same vnc server on each machine so we don't stomp on each other. It's fine for 4 people, but it certainly doesn't scale well.

    We really had to use VNC for one of the servers because it is on the other side of a firewall and the X clients couldn't connect to our PC's.
  • This place has a 30-day evaluation version. Of all the freebies I tried during my Windows days (I'm on the wagon now), this was the best (but it's not as good as Exceed, of course). It's huge, though. It's pretty easy to setup with or without its internal window manager. If you use the internal, you can run it transparently like Exceed so apps look like Windows apps (titlebars and all that crap). It does *stop* working after 30 days, and it really screws around with your startup files and registry, but if you need to use it longer, you can uninstall and reinstall.

    http://www.frontiertec h.com/DOWNLOAD/evaluation_software.htm [frontiertech.com]
  • I have three XWindows servers installed on my computer: XFree86 (whoops, doesn't count, only works when I'm not running Windows), StarNet's X-Win32, and MI/X (free version) which I run when the other two aren't convenient.

    I get best compatibility and features with XFree (duh) but when I need to multitask with Win apps, it doesn't always work.

    StarNet [starnet.com] puts out an excellent XWindows server at $200, with special academic licensing. It has some pretty nifty features, like automatic rsh login, various windowing models (my favorite just puts each app in its own windows-style window), and scrolling (if part of your app's window is offscreen and you move the mouse "off the edge of the screen," if moves the clipped portion of the window onto the screen, providing an excellent "virtual desktop" but on the app level, not on the desktop level).

    I don't have the pay version, but a demo is available (requires registration with StarNet). The demo version that I have has two restrictions: 2 hour session time limit (logs out after 2 hours), and it won't let you log in if someone else on your subnet is using the demo version (so you might not want to share with other people on your network if you are selfish). This usually isn't a problem for me, since I use the program for academic work, not professional work. The demo restrictions may have been changed since I got my copy.

    When someone else on my net is already using it (I wasn't selfish enough ) I load up MI/X and it works fine.
  • some things don't display properly.

    Like anything that uses Tcl/Tk. I use the free version of MI/X at work to run apps off my home machine. Any program that uses Tcl/Tk has indecipherable text. Other than that, I've not had a single problem with it, but I wish it had a better window manager than twm. I can run one (i.e. Enlightenment) off my home machine, but it's a lot slower then. It would be much better to have a real window manager ported to Win32 for use with PC X-servers. Although, I suppose it wouldn't be cross-compatible between servers from different manufacturers. Ah, well, Windows sucks anyway. I should just put Linux on my work machine, too (I wonder if my boss would have a fit...?).

  • All the other posts I've seen say "Nothing's free, but this one's not too expensive and I like it..." or something along those lines.

    What you need to do is write a letter to all the companies that make this software and ask for a donation. Since you are a nonprofit org (right?) it will be tax deductable for them. Even if it doesn't work, all you will have lost will be a bit of postage, right?

    SupremeOverlord

  • Exceed (Score:1)

    by adolf ( 21054 )
    I've used Exceed [hummingbird.com] with success under both Windows and OS/2. It's got a few (mostly forgivable) quirks, but otherwise works fine with all X apps I tried to use it with.

    It costs real-live money, but free evaluation copies [hcl.com] are available. It's much faster than vnc on my 100mbit half-duplex lan, and integrates X stuffs nearly seamlessly with Windows once set up.

    Versions have also existed for Win16 and DOS, iirc.
  • Careful about asking for an eval copy from Hummingbird. The web form doesn't mention that they won't send you the CD until they've had a telesales operator call you to confirm the details. After that, someone from a reseller will call to try to get you to buy. Then, a salesperson from Hummingbird will call. I ended up getting four unwanted calls from them, even though I told the first one I didn't want any more calls, and emailed the sales rep the same thing. If you screen all your calls, or don't mind being endlessly bugged by clueless sales people, go ahead and order the eval.

  • Hmmm, I always thought it interesting that XFree has been ported to OS/2, but not to Windows. As you pointed out, OS/2 and Win32 are closer to each other than either is to unix.

    Realistically, if Linux becomes a mainstream business OS, it's not going to take over overnight, and there's going to be the need to run X programs on Win32 platforms without spending a few hundred bucks per seat.

    XFree/Win32 - some people have the itch - it'd be nice if someone who understands this stuff scratches it!
    --

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