Questions about ILA X-window support for Symbolics

[Barry Margolin <barmar@THINK.COM>]

    Date: Fri 16 Sep 88 10:12:18-PDT
    From: TAYLOR@pluto.arc.nasa.gov (Will Taylor)

    1) does the the Sun "login" to the Symbolics? Can local "login" to the Symbolicsbe done while it is an X-client to a Sun?

The X server is just another console as far as the Symbolics is
concerned.  It's like having both a monochrome and color console
attached to the same Symbolics, except that the X server console also
has its own keyboard and mouse, rather than sharing the main console's
input devices.

Genera's multitasking allows things to take place on both the hardwired
display and the X remote screen display.  However, only one "login" is
permitted, since USER-ID is a global variable.

I'm not sure what you mean when you ask "does the Sun 'login' to the
Symbolics?".  The Sun is the server, not the client.  A program running
on the Symbolics sends a request to the Sun to create an X window.  Of
course, someone has to invoke the application on the Symbolics, and this
can be done in many ways.  Someone at the Symbolics console could do

	Run Remote Screen <sun-host> :Activity <application>

or the user on the Sun could telnet to the Lispm and type a similar
command.  Finally, you could implement a network protocol for starting
up your particular application remotely.

    2) If 1) is possible, does select-L on the Symbolics bring up the same window that would be up on the Sun (if it was displaying LIsp LIstener 1) ?

The X implementation includes a number of changes to the Activity System
(the parts of the system that manage the Select key and the Select
Activity command).  These cause each activity invocation to be
associated with a particular screen, so Select <whatever> will never
select an activity that was started on another console.

    3) Is it possible for Symbolics to be an X-client to multiple Sun X-servers ?

Yes.

                                                barmar