Re:[OT] True multiuser?
Re:[OT] True multiuser?
- Subject: Re:[OT] True multiuser?
- From: Shawn Erickson <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 08:44:40 -0800
On Dec 22, 2003, at 4:42 AM, Peter Estrand wrote:
We all know that OS X isn't capable of true multiuser yet: It's not
possible for several users to interact, at the same time, with
applications running on an OS X system. There are no third-party addons
that can fix this: There is no "Citrix Metaframe for OS X" or "OS X
terminal server" available.
Note Microsoft licenses/ed Citrix stuff for windows.
Lots of people hoped for Panther and/or "Apple
Remote Desktop" to solve this problem, but it didn't, and people was
disappointed. A "-NXHost" option was available in NeXTStep, but doesn't
work anymore (why?).
Maintaining NXHost given the large amount of changes made in the
windowing system since NeXTStep just wasn't in the cards I guess. In
general very few Windows customers know anything about terminal
services it is still in the realm of power users, many other services
in the OS are more important before tackling this.
So, true multiuser is impossible, but *how* impossible? Ideally, I
want to
be able to use old Xterminals to connect to a OS X machine. This could
be
achived by letting the WindowServer communicate with an Xserver
instead of
a graphics card. The WindowServer + graphics driver would be an X11
client
in this case.
Also, as I understand it, there has to be one WindowServer process per
user. How much impossible is this? I've noticed that there is no
DISPLAY
variable any longer. Is WindowServer using a fixed mach messaging
port, or
would it be possible to have several WindowServers on different ports?
Anything is possible but I doubt a third-party can do it without help
from Apple. It likely will require core OS tweaks and changes to the
WindowServer. Try contacting them directly about it.
Note that if you use fast user switching only one WindowServer process
is created form what I can see.
I also doubt the usefulness of this feature for some folks has gone
ignored at Apple, they are likely working on.
-Shawn
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