Q) Does the host machine send bitmaps or an object / vector description to
the network? If bitmaps are a sent, there may be some issues with
network performance and cutting and pasting text.
A) Typically, an X client application sends information in the form of an
object / vector description. For instance, when drawing a scroll bar,
the bit image of the scroll bar is not transmitted, only the commands to
generate the bit image are transmitted. However, it is quite possible
for the client application to transmit bit images. A perfect example of
this is a bit image viewing application.
Q) Does MacX always use the Macintosh Window Manager in rootless and rooted
modes? I'm running Open Look under MacX in a rooted window, and I'm
concerned about the implications of the Open Look interface being mapped
onto Macintosh windows (although I can understand why this may have been
done). I'm concerned also with consistency between machines. I have
had some interesting problems with windows disappearing, use of menus,
and so on (things that may be considered normal with the Macintosh
interface). Interestingly, the calculator appears in a normal Open Look
window, but everything else is in Macintosh windows. My feeling is that
the choice of rooted or rootless should define what happens (that is,
whether Macintosh windows or Open Look windows are used).
A good example of the problem is when you iconify the clock. Normally,
under Open Look, the time still appears and is updated--in MacX this
doesn't happen. Is there a way that this can be configured to use Open
Look windows (I am aware of the disadvantages), or will Macintosh
windows always be used?
A) When you execute a client application in a rootless window, MacX always
maps the client's calls into the Macintosh Window Manager. When you use
a rooted window, the Macintosh Window Manager is not used except to
contain the entire "screen" or display that is being drawn into. If
client applications are being displayed in Macintosh windows, the
environment for the remote call is not being properly set. You need to
set the display to the rooted window desired for each application you
execute.