Getting started with windows and screens without desktop environment
Hi there,
Hope the title is sufficiently self explaining.
I have no idea how to start and where to start.
I don't even know what keywords to google for.
I need to build a machine :
based on Debian
without desktop environment
with a quite powerful multi-monitor graphic card
able to run 4 browsers (firefox?)
each browser sent to a different window
each windows sent to a different monitor
What program should I use to say :
run firefox, navigate to site1, send the image to screen1
run firefox, navigate to site2, send the image to screen2
run firefox, navigate to site3, send the image to screen3
etc.
I have to admit I know one keyword that I heard of and looks related to what I'm trying to do but it's to vast for me to narrow my google exploration. It's x11. Woohoo! Big start.
Can anyone point me even slightly in a more precise direction?
Programs like browsers rely heavily on some sort of desktop environment, like Gnome or KDE.
X11 is basically a library of graphic routines, not more. To make use of it, you need a window manager and more, which make up a desktop environment.
While it should be possible, to write programs which directly handle all the graphical output in fullscreen mode (like in the old DOS ages), programs like firefox won't work like this.
Thanks hergp.
I think you understood what I meant.
And I completely believe what you're saying.
My objection is that I administrate a network of 140+ video players that are no more than debian based mini-computers with two basics programs run on startup (via /etc/inittab). I have not created the system so I might miss some points but here is what I can see working.
An X window (or tell me how to call it) is launched via the command
Mplayer is launched in this window with the commande
That's it. Then the system rolls smoothly in a store to entertain customers with fancy videos.
This looks extremely simple to me and I thought I could do close to the same thing with Firefox. Am I deliring?
Again hergp, I completely trust your answer, I'm just curious to understand a bit more the implications of what I'm talking about.
What you call a window is in fact a call to open an X session ( can contain multiple windows within e.g. a firefox window...) that means there is somewhere a X server running...
A X server can run different instances (sessions) the session number is what you see after IP or host name in the variable DISPLAY
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