[TriLUG] Detach/Reattach X-windows apps?

[Aaron S. Joyner]

Rick DeNatale wrote:

> This is probably expecting too much, but I've been wondering if
> there's anything which works like screen, except for X-windows apps.
>
> For example, let's say I was running openoffice on a server through
> ssh and X-forwarding, from a client machine.. I'd love to be able to
> detach it, then come back later and re-attach from either the same or
> a different client, much like you can do with screen.
>
> I'm assuming that this is quite difficult since we're really talking
> about saving and restoring state which is really held in the
> X-'Server' which is actually on the client rather than the server.
>
> On the other hand, I've been constantly amazed by how clever the open
> source community can be. Perhaps I've just not discovered the right
> google search yet.
>
Check out xmove, it allows this with a modicum of hassle.  I 
experimented with it a year or two ago but, much like screen, never 
really adjusted my usage patterns to use it frequently.  It requires 
just a little too much fore-thought for the 1 in 100 times when it would 
have been really useful to have started that app inside a screen session 
or an xmove session when you discover you suddenly need to leave and 
will want to reconnect to it later.

Aaron S. Joyner