Regarding point no.5, free Windows-based X server package does exist. It is
available in SuSE 5.x distributions.
Please also refers to Linux Gazette issue 45. The ward.html, titled something
like "Sharing X-server in the school" could be a good article for reference.
This article mentioned the MicroImage's MI/X server in SuSE 5.1 but I can also
find it in my SuSE 5.3. I have no idea about 6.x.
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: X-Windows
Author: Ray Olszewski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> at INTERNET-EXCHANGE(GPEI)
Date: 10/15/99 2:04 PM
You actually have several options, depending on how stringent the "are not
able to have linux installed on them" stricture is. I'll just mention them
briefly; if you want more details about a subset, please post again.
1. Very small Linux distributions, ones that run off a single floppy. The
big names here are tomsrtbt (Tom's Root-Boot) and Linux Router Project.
Neither includes X in its basic configuration, though I believe it is
possible to put together a 2-disk setup using LRP to run X. I think I've
also seen another 2-disk set that runs X, but I don't recall the details
(try searching on "Linux TinyX"). Others to look at (I haven't looked at
them recently enough to recall if they will help you) are Small Linux and
cLIeNUX. Generally, you can find these distributions (as well as a few that
are new to me) at URL
ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/
2. loadlin-based Linux installations. These load Linux into a DOS partition
on the hard disk, and you execute a DOS command ("loadlin", I believe) to
boot them. They range from Monkey Linux (installs from 6 floppies) to
ZipSlack (a Slackware variant that unzips from a zipfile to 100 mB). Monkey
includes X; Zipslack doesn't, but adding it is easy. Other choices, as I
recall, are Dragon Linux and Peanut Linux. These too can be found at metalab.
3. Linux distributions based on large, removable media. Your options here
depend on the media. Slackware includes the "live" distribution, which runs
directly from the CD-ROM; it needs only a small amount of writable file
sapce, and I forget if it uses a DOS partition on the hard disk or a RAM
disk for it. NOTE: these days, Slackware Live comes ONLY with the full
version of Slackware; it is not included on the 1-disk versions from
Cheapbytes and the like (though I believe Cheapbytes has the official set at
a good price - www.cheapbytes.com). If you have a ZIP drive, Zipslack will
run from it (that is what it was designed for) -- you'll need to remove
some stuff to make room for X, but that should be no problem (Zipslack
includes a fairly complete compiler set thatyou won't need, for example).
4. X-Terminal approaches. Intended to turn old PCs (typically '486s) into
dedicated Xterminals, they might be adaptable to your needs, though you'd
have to do some work to make it happen. URLs to check here are
http://www.solucorp.qc.ca/xterminals/
http://www.menet.umn.edu/~kaszeta/unix/xterminal/index.html
http://www.silvervalley.k12.ca.us/chobbs/xterms/
5. Get a Windows-based X server package, and run the apps via it. I don't
know of a free one, but then, like most people on this list, I'm hardly a
WIndows expert.
6. But finally ... if all you want to show is Web pages, you don't need to
jump through any of these hoops. Just use your browser of choice (Netscape,
IE, whatever) on the Windows host to display the pages from a Web server on
a Linux host. Much as I favor increasing the role of Linux in schools, I
wouldn't do it just to get a GUI-based Web browser running.
Hope some of this helps. Good luck.
At 03:00 PM 10/15/99 -0500, Brad Bonkoski wrote:
>Hello..
>
>I am doing a project that will allow professors to do presentations in
>linux on machines that do not have linux installed. The goal is to do
>this via Ram Disk. What I was wondering is while it is not really
>possible to put X-Windows onto the RAM disk, is it possible to use some
>external media (either a 100 MB zip or a burned CD-ROM) to have the
>X-Windows system on that so you could mount that drive and run X-Windows
>off of that? Or, are there any other possibilities? The general
>problem is some machines that the school gets directly from the
>manufacturer (Gateway) are not able to have linux installed on them and
>a few CS profs know absolutely nothing about WinBlows, and they wish to
>give lectures using Web Pages they made, but of course this would not
>look to good on a text only console, thus my inquiry about getting
>X-Windows to work.
------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"---
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
Palo Alto, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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