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DECEMBER 31, 2002 Bring Out The GIMP
Step 3: XWindows on OS X In order to run certain Unix-based apps (like the GIMP) on OS X, you have to install a virtual Unix environment on top of OS X. A little background: on Unix machines, you'll generally get nothing but a command line interface unless you throw a GUI on top of it (like the KDE or GNOME windowing systems that give Linux distros their Windows-like appearance). Mac OS X is a little different, in that the Aqua interface isn't a "real" Unix windowing system, and true Unix apps can't just run natively in Aqua without being specifically programmed to do so. Therefore, you'll have to install something called XWindows, which will interface with the underlying Apple Darwin variant of Unix. For that task, we'll turn to the XFree86 project.[an error occurred while processing this directive]XFree86 is an open-source effort that brings an XWindows implementation to many Unix variants, OS X included. To install XFree86, head over to the XonX home page to grab the installers. At the very least, you'll need the version 4.2.0 installer, and if you're running Jaguar, you'll also need to get the 4.2.0.1 update to be compatible with OS X 10.2. What the hey, might as well snag the 4.2.1.1 patch while you're at it, and you'll really be up to date. Install 4.2.0 first, and then the two updates. These are native OS X installers, so just follow the instructions you get during the installation processes and you should have no problem. Just so everything is working as it should after the installation, go ahead and launch the XDarwin program that should now be sitting in your Applications directory (provided that's where you put it when asked during the installation of XFree86). You'll be presented with a dialog box (fig. 1), asking you if you want XDarwin to take over your screen or be "rootless," meaning you can see Aqua running underneath XWindows.  Fig. 1: XFree86's opening dialog box. I prefer rootless, but it doesn't really matter. If you've done everything correctly to this point, you'll get a screen that might look decidedly non-Mac-like (fig. 2). This is the XWindows environment, so despite how things might look now, you're on the right track.  Fig. 2: The very Unix-y XDarwin interface running on OS X. Step 4: Aquify XFree86 Now, if things aren't complex enough for you yet, we're going to add yet another piece of software here that makes XFree86 much more Mac-like. This Step isn't necessary, so if you don't mind having the strange Unix-y looking environment running on top of Aqua you saw under XDarwin, just skip this Step and use the XDarwin application in later steps instead of the OroborOSX program we're going to get right now. OK, for those of you who didn't skip ahead, let's meet OroborOSX. Funny name; cool program. What OroborOSX does is serve as the application you launch XWindows with instead of XDarwin. Why? Because OroborOSX adds some Aqua-like features to XWindows, and even lets you interleave native Aqua windows with Unix applications running under XWindows (fig. 3).  Fig. 3: Here's the Aqua interleaving ability OroborOSX gives you: in this example, we have a Unix terminal sitting on top of a Finder window sitting on top of a Unix copy utility. Even pressing the minimize widget on the menubar of a Unix window "shoops" it down to the Dock, just like any other Aqua window (fig. 4).  Fig. 4: We've caught the Unix terminal right in the act of minimizing to the Dock, just like any other Aqua window. Prev 1 2 3 4 Next Related sites: • Creative Mac • Digital Media Designer • Digital Producer • The WWUG Related forums: [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
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