Confusion about xfree

[emus]

I'm a little unclear about the function of xfree. At the xfree page I read the following "..provides a client/server interface between display hardware.."
I know that I need xfree to run windows managers.
Why is there a need for a client/server function for display hardware, and why does it listen on port 6000?

[Hayl]

XFree is client server in the sense that the X Server is the server and the application is the client. (I know this sounds weird when you are used to thinking of client server in the traditional sense where workstations are clients and servers are fileservers, etc.) :)

This means that you can run an app (client) on a remote machine and have it display on your local display (server).

Locally run apps are clients of your local X Server.

[emus]

Originally posted by Hayl
XFree is client server in the sense that the X Server is the server and the application is the client. (I know this sounds weird when you are used to thinking of client server in the traditional sense where workstations are clients and servers are fileservers, etc.) :)

This means that you can run an app (client) on a remote machine and have it display on your local display (server).

Locally run apps are clients of your local X Server.

Thanks a lot, that cleared up some of the misconceptions I had. I suppose port 6000 is open if someone were to run a service on my machine requiring xfree?

[GaryJones32]

port 6000 is not necesarily open to the outside

netstat -lnA inet

will tell you