Confusion: Unix, Linux and X11

boyfarrell · #1 October 25th, 2005, 10:35 AM

Hello everyone,

I know that there are various ways to get open-source unix apps running on macOS by using fink or darwinports.

But can Linux apps be installed just a easily?

Also, how does X11 fit into this whole thing. Does X11 have a connection with Linux?

Daniel.

symphonix · #2 October 25th, 2005, 12:16 PM

Linux apps *are* open-source Unix apps. Linux is an open-source Unix kernel. People often confuse Linux with the entire operating system, which it isn't.

X11 is a windowing system that dates back a fair way, and is found on a variety of Unix systems, including both open-source ones like Linux and closed-source ones like AIX and Sun Solaris. Mac OS X uses a new windowing system called "Aqua", but it also fully supports the ability to run X11 programs alongside your regular Aqua ones.

boyfarrell · #3 October 25th, 2005, 08:15 PM

So, there is no distiction. I guess because og GCC if you have 'Linux' code you can bring it over to your mac and get a working application - it can't tell the difference, it's just code!

Is it possible then to run a Linux app on MacOS.

For example, at work we have a copy of MATLAB of Linux lying around somewhere, can I install that (we have a group licence etc)? Is a Linux application automatically a Mac app?

X11 is a windowing system hey ... getting a bit stuck there. To me it look just like the terminal. I've never managed to get it doing any window stuff, just command line. But would it be fair to say that, it's one possible way people can run applications on Linux and Mac with no tweeking required to there code; just a build on the desired system?

ElDiabloConCaca · #4 October 25th, 2005, 08:44 PM

In order for a Linux application to run on Mac OS X, you have to have access to the source code of the program so you can re-compile it to run under Darwin (the Unix underpinnings of Mac OS X) on a PPC processor -- you can't just take a pre-compiled Linux binary and run it on Mac OS X.

In order for you to see windows in X11, you must have a windowing application running. If you want to see a sample windowing application that uses X11, try out The Gimp -- it's a free image editing program, much like PhotoShop:

http://gimp-app.sourceforge.net/

"Windowing" doesn't mean Finder-like navigational windows. It means that if you choose to write a program that needs to display and manipulate windows, the X11 environment will provide you with libraries that make it easier to do so:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/x11/