New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

Geneva, New York

Computer Centre: 253/ 12-Aug-93

MacX(TM)

MacX[1] is an X Window System[2] display server for the Macintosh computer. X provides a window/ graphics interface between X clients & servers, and across a network connexion between machines supporting X clients & servers. In plain language, X facilitates the usage of graphic-oriented programmes on remote machines; for instance, a statistics programme on a high-powered workstation can be accessed from a Macintosh and its graphical output and windowing features (buttons, menus &c.) displayed on the Macintosh.

Installation

Users who have paid for their site license, and who use System 7, can use installation materials on the CC server to do the following simplified installation procedure:

1. Go into the folder CC:Software:Communications:MacX(licensed uses only) and copy the folder MacX Application onto your hard disk. MacX Application takes about 3MB; unneeded fonts can be deleted later.

2. Copy MacTCP Tool onto your System Folder.

3. If not already installed (it probably is), install MacTCP. [See cc217 for instructions on installing MacTCP.]

4. Restart the Macintosh.

MacX documents

A few MacX documents are provided in the MacX Application folder. These have been prepared for standard usage of various machines. In particular, xterm commands necessary to connect to these machines are included.

Setting up for a new commands[3]

Remote commands are programmed from the New Command... item under the Remote menu. Construction of remote commands requires a knowledge of X and is not discussed in detail herein. As an example, the simplest xterm command suitable for connecting to Geneva's Aruba machine can be set up as follows:

Remote Command: xterm -display "reg.display"

Command Name: aruba xterm (Any nickname for the command that suits you)

Username: Your username on aruba

Password: Your password on aruba

Then set up the address of the client host in the dialogue that is displayed from the Host... button. Simply type in the name or the IP address of the host:

The command can then be saved using Save As... under the File menu.

The mouse

The Macintosh uses one-button mouse rather than the three-button one normally used with X. MacX uses the arrow keys as a substitute. Arrow keys work with or without simultaneous use of the option key, depending on user preferences. Correspondence is as follows: 

Mac button      Left             <-      Middle button          ->     Right button   
               button                                                                 


[[arro   Meta modifier             [[arr    Control key    
wup]]                              owdow                   
                                    n]]

See MacX(TM) User's Guide (Apple Computer, Inc.) for details on MacX.