[NTLUG:Discuss] graphicx pkg on Linux run from Windows?

[David Neeley]

If you have the graphics package on a separate machine (i.e., not dual 
booting) and if the machines are networked, you can run an XWindows server 
for your Win 9X machine and run the program on the Linux machine. (In 
XWindows parliance, the "server" is the machine you sit at, and the 
"client" is the machine the program is actually running on--backwards to 
other "client/server" products).

In fact, if you have several different Windows systems networked with the 
Linux box, you can run the same program from all the Windows systems--with 
performance depending upon factors such as how powerful the Linux box is 
and how fast your network is. You might be pleasantly surprised to find the 
program will execute faster through a networked XWindows machine (Linux, 
Windows, or whatever) than it will when you run it directly on your Linux 
box. That is because the Linux box isn't having to draw all those pretty 
pictures!

On the other hand, since most Linux GPL programs include source or it is 
readily available, you might find programs that have been ported to run 
natively on Windows. If these are available, you may find that the Windows 
versions aren't free!

However, so long as you are careful to produce files in standard graphics 
formats, you should be able to work on them with tools native to any given 
platform. For example, you can use the Gimp in Linux and exchange files in 
many formats with a Corel-equipped Windows machine (using their paint 
program) or perhaps a Mac running whatever they might be running.

I am not familiar with the freeware XWindows clients (if any) for 
Windows--but I am sure others on the list may know of one. Unfortunately, 
some of the commercial programs are more expensive than some of the good 
graphics programs!

I hope this shorthand description is helpful.

Best of luck.

David


At 06:13 PM 10-09-01 -0500, you wrote:
>We are a household in the process of converting to Linux - about 50% done 
>by most counts, but at our speed that can still be measured in years.
>
>I just bought the Linux version of a well known graphics package, but it 
>would be good if one could access and run it using a Windows 95 
>"terminal", at least for now - it would just make life so much easier 
>right now.
>
>I have never done anything like this before except on SGI, and that was 
>SGI to SGI.
>
>Can it be done?
>If so, how?
>What boogers am I looking at?
>Any clues?
>
>TIA.