21 December, 2010

MobaXterm: free X server for Windows

I work under Linux and Windows on a daily base, so from quite some time I was looking for simple, free and reliable X server for Windows. Just to mention that I have tried several solutions before: X server under Cygwin, Xming, and some commercial software as well.

Cygwin: I have tried that solution long time ago, perhaps now it is way better. At that time, it was quite slow, heavy and not that simple for occasional purposes.

Xming: That is in principle what I need. It works... almost... I have problems running it under limited user account, I heard about problems under Vista, as well...

As result, I kept using alternative ways to avoid using X. Usually, as awkward as: NoMachine (or VNC over SSH) to Linux machine at work, then to the target Linux machine... This solution is still acceptable for occasional use, since I have already everything setup to connect at work. Of course, this "solution" is very inconvenient for occasional use to a regular Linux machine.

Anyway, today (yes, it is only one day and I am already excited) I have found another free software that completely fits my need!!! MobaXterm. It has embedded all the tools one needs and some extra in a single PORTABLE file of 13 MB! No installation (well there is such possibility if you insist) - just run and enjoy. You get more than what you can expect. 
  • X server - you can turn it on/off interactively
  • Simple file transfer - very neat
  • Remote XDMCP session - certainly handy
  • Local applications: mc, wget, vim, ssh - just to mentions some...
  • rsync - this one is just a jewel (providing that ssh environment is available)
  • Many more, not that important... I keep exploring...
Exactly what I want. I can't imagine what could be better... Do you?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! This is fantastic. It's Cygwin in a little box, but with a lot of cool extras!! I've been looking for something like this for years.

Now that you've used it for a while, what are the top Pros and Cons?
Thanks so much,

Uncle Scrooge said...

Well, I just need it occasionally so, my demands are not high. I haven't really used it intensively to encounter any bugs or problems...

I have easily convinced couple of friends and colleagues that this is the best, so far, X server for windows (free, simple, etc.)... They don't even use the shell features...

Otherwise, I found my self using "wget and grep" in several occasions... I have even copy on my USB stick... Just to round it up - I am fully satisfied and I am not looking for anything else any more, except updates ;-)

Anonymous said...

Did you really say 13GB?

Uncle Scrooge said...

Thanks, I have corrected it. It was obviously wrong.

Anonymous said...

I find it excellent also