gregm@otc.otca.oz.au (Greg McFarlane) (03/08/91)
Currently there are a number of systems available that allow several people
using networked X Window System workstations to share application windows.
These systems usually allow any unmodified X client to be used as a shared
application, displaying on all workstations and accepting input from one or
more participants. I have included a list of all systems I know of at the
end of this message.
We are currently developing such a system as part of our multi-media
desktop conferencing network and I am interested in finding out how people
are actually using these systems in their day-to-day work, or whether they
are they just toys for the developers to play with. I would like to know
such things as the sorts of applications you share, the number of people in
your conferences, whether you use the telephone or other media during the
conference, problems with the current systems and ideas for future shared X
systems.
Uses suggested by developers are co-authoring of documents and computer
supported collaborative work. I have used such a system to help remote
users debug their software by sharing the xdbx debugger window. Is anyone
else using shared windows?
If you have had any experience with using these systems, please mail me and
I will summarise. Also, if the authors are listening, perhaps you could put
in your threepence worth as well. If anyone knows of any other systems,
could you let me know as well.
List of real-time window sharing systems under X
------------------------------------------------
Some of these systems have not been released as far as I know.
Please contact authors for more information.
xmx jsb@cs.brown.edu
XVT feit@cs.odu.edu
Hussein M. Abdel-Wahab, Dept. of Comp. Sci,
Old Dominion Univ, Norfolk, Virginia 23429, USA
shX shX@nestvx.enet.dec.com
xmux gregm@otc.otca.oz.au
??? iansmith@warhol.gatech.edu
SharedX Gust [1988], HP Labs
Dialogo Lantz and Lauwers [1988], Olivetti Research Center
Shadows John Patterson, Bellcore, 445 South St,
Morristown, NJ 07962-1910, USA
Rapport J. R. Ensor, AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ 07733, USA
--
ACSnet: gregm@otc.otca.oz.au
Greg McFarlane UUCP: {uunet,mcvax}!otc.otca.oz.au!gregm
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Phone: +61 2 287 3139 Fax: +61 2 287 3299iansmith@dali.gatech.edu (Ian Smith) (03/13/91)
In article <2422@otc.otca.oz>, gregm@otc.otca.oz.au (Greg McFarlane) writes: |> Currently there are a number of systems available that allow several people |> using networked X Window System workstations to share application windows. [stuff deleted] |> Also, if the authors are listening, perhaps you could put |> in your threepence worth as well. Well, I think your article pretty much summed up the work that I know of... With the possible exception of special purpose systems for other window systems (ie, commune, timbuktu, carbon copy, etc). However, when you put down our project here at SRC Multimedia, you put: |> ??? iansmith@warhol.gatech.edu |> and it should be: |> Virtual X iansmith@warhol.cc.gatech.edu (ugh!) Anyway, in response to the mail that I have been getting, the system will permit multi-user interaction via a 'Virtual Root Window' concept that we are working on. It is scheduled to be operational by July, and if it isn't then I would say its my butt... In response to questions concerning what types of 'multimedia' the thing supports, it doesn't make any assumptions. If you can send video 'over the wire' like we do here, it'll work, but it doesn't support anything other than the core 11R4 protocol. Perhaps supporting extensions to the protocol (such as vex, audio, image processing, phigs, etc) could be fun, but I'm not sure that is really a good idea... Credit where credit is due: The person doing the human factors work on this baby is Beth Bumgardener of SRC Multimedia; I am just the technoid doing the X hacking. later, ian -- "Daddy what's regret?" "Well son, all I can say is its always better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done. And, if you see your mother this afternoon..." --Gibby