[lug] some general questions

[Bear Giles]

Chan Kar Heng wrote:
> 
> would like to know if anyone has seen anything like a java applet
> or a microsoft COM object embedded on a web page allowing
> access to a remote X server?

X is not exactly a cheap protocol.  If you need X, you need X, but 
are there alternatives?

If you just need basic connectivity, it shouldn't be too hard to 
write a Java applet that gives you basic xterm functionality and 
connects to a telnet server on the originating site.  (Remember 
that the Java sandbox only lets you connect to the site that 
originated the applet.)

If you want something more... life gets interesting.  It's easy to 
write Mozilla plug-ins, and you could conceivably have a plugin do 
pretty much anything.  But the plugin has to work on the platform 
you download it to, so it might not give you enough flexibility.

But if you can work within that constraint, you can do some pretty 
amazing things.  A while back I ported the 'qix' mode from the 
screensaver to a Netscape/Mozilla plugin.  It was weird seeing it 
running within a web page, esp. since I simplified it to 
monochrome for testing.

Bear