[aklug] Re: Using X11

Thomison, Lee wrote:
> Agreed, X is a very powerful tool, with lots of built in usefulness. The p=
> referred way to attach (RWGBOI) is via X tunnels with SSH. Most current ap=
> plications can work remote X with this. It wasn't always so. Which brings=
> me to the point of my post here.
>
> In a word, um, help?
>
> We've got one of those apps. It's a solaris 2.5.1 based system from the 90=
> 's. The app is a heavily bastardized on-off control system. Also from the=
> 90's (actually, I think from the late 80's, but not sure about that). It =
> can do remote as Shane and others have described, but it's too old to under=
> stand and work with ssh X tunnels. =20
>
> Remote X is fine. It wants and expects to connect to mydesktop:0.0. Fine =
> and good. I can shell into the remotehost (solaris 2.5.1), set the display=
> to mydesktop:0.0 (a centos5.3 box), and do all the usual xclock, emacs, ne=
> dit, whatever. All good. =20
>
> But, when I try to run the app, it starts, draws some nice boxes, I see stu=
> ff I should see, then get an error that says 'unable to allocate colors'. =
> =20
>
> I've poked and prodded at this for a couple of years now. It seems that th=
> e old app wants 256 colors, and gets cranky if mydesktop is different. Goo=
> gling yields the valuable information that (summarized) 'some old or poorly=
> behaved applications may expect 16 or 256 colors'. The usual suggestion o=
> n how to handle this is to not write the application to do that in the firs=
> t place. =20
>
> The phrase 'private colormap' comes up sometimes, but there's no real layma=
> n explanation of what to do with those or how to set them up. Closest I've=
> seen was a lot of C code, which starts to look like way more trouble than =
> I want to go to.
>
> So, to summarize, to all you really smart and experienced folk out there, i=
> s there an easy way to get past this 256 color allocation issue? Or is the=
> 'easy' way to wait until this system is junked and the new system is spec'=
> ed and installed?
>
> Thanks!
> ---------
> To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
> with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
>
You can also try to run a VNC server with the supported color mode on
the local network somewhere and export the display to it, then connect
to the VNC server usign a VNC viewer. I also read what arthur posted
about the .Xresources. Make sure xrdb reloads.

If that doesn't work, try using Xnest on your remote box and try to set
the depth to something your remote app likes dealing with.

Sigh.. I dislike dealing with funky X issues.

In another note.. check out FreeNX for a good time.. and dxcp for a fun
but not quite as attractive time.

Shane

-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: signature.asc
-- Desc: OpenPGP digital signature

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iEYEARECAAYFAknjgSQACgkQXK/vGhypreKZVwCgj024IdS7Ph5aN52FQqjUkPSV
FcQAoJFayyBzdFMEsXKmrTdVcwSQaPKN
=boGj
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.
Received on Mon Apr 13 10:15:19 2009