What is X Windows?
X Windows is the graphical windowing system for unix-based and unix-compatible systems. There is not just one version of X Windows, but several different types. What they all have in common is that they all are capable of displaying applications written for the X Windows environment, such as Gimp and Open Office.
If you have Panther, then you can easily install Apple's version of XWindows, X11. I believe it is on the third install disc. Otherwise, you had best use fink.
Installing XDarwin
Installing XDarwin with fink is very easy. (Go here for instructions on installing fink), especially if we make use of the attractive cocoa GUI provided for fink, called FinkCommander, available from MacUpdate. Open FinkCommander and scroll down until you come to xfree86-base. Control click and select Binary-Install from menu. FinkCommander will download and install the xfree86 base components. (During this process, you will need to be connected to the internet, of course.) Next, install the binaries for xfree86-rootless and windowmaker. These installations will give you a working X Windows GUI. Before you can test it out, you need to configure your windowmaker, which is a program which draws windows for your Unix GUI. Open terminal.app and enter the follow command:wmaker.inst
You will be asked whether you want to custom install wmaker. Simply press enter and a default installation will be provided for you. That's all you have to do: you're done. Now all we need to do is test it. Go to your Applications folder and look for the XDarwin icon. Click on it. The following dialogue box will greet you:
Before pressing the Full screen option, a word of warning. Before entering the X Windows environment, you need to know how to get back. It's easy. Simple press command-option-a. That will take you from X Windows to aqua. To get back to X Windows, simply click on the XDarwin icon in the dock.
Now let's go to the X Windows GUI. Press the Fullscreen option. The OS X aqua interface will disappear, leaving in its wake a ugly grain screen. Eventually, the computer will draw the following desktop on your computer:
The xterm will probably not appear at first; to summon it, simply press the icon with the blue screened monitor.
Don't be afraid to play around with the windowmaker interface. It's very easy to configure. Click on the third icon down on the right. This will bring out windowmaker's preference utility. It's very easy to use and has a number of fine features. You can even hotkey all your favorite X Windows apps, so you can summon them from the keyboard.
For the time being, let us look at a few other key features. X Windows is configured to use a 3-button mouse. By default, XDarwin allows you to emulate the 3-button mouse by holding down the option key for the right-button and the command key for the middle button. Give it a test drive. Hold down the option key and click on the purple background. An application menu should appear on the screen. Move the pointer down to the Utils selection. Holding down your mouse, drag it over the calculator selection and release the mouse. A calculator should appear on your screen.
This is one way to start applications. You'll notice there are number of applications listed in the windowmaker menu by default. Most of them won't work because they haven't been installed. When they're installed, they will work from the menu. Also, the menu is entirely customizable using the windowmaker preferences utility.
There is one other way to start applications in X Windows. Click on the xterm and enter the following:
xeyes
A pair of eyes should appear on the screen. This application is an old X Windows standby. It is completely useless app, but summoning gives you an idea how you can open applications in this particular GUI. Simply enter the name of the application in the xterm. That should always work.
Let's close down the X Window GUI. Bring up the application menu, and find your way to the exit selection at the bottom. Exit windowmaker. (If you have trouble exiting, simple return to aqua and quit XDarwin from the desktop.)
—Last updated August 6, 2004