[winswitch] xpra macOS support

[Tom Carpenter]

On 11/24/20 12:10 PM, Antoine Martin via shifter-users wrote:
> On 23/11/2020 23:44, Tom Carpenter via shifter-users wrote:
>> I'm new to xpra and have been unsuccessful using it to access a macOS
>> Catalina
>> system. What I've tried so far is, while logged on to a Catalina system,
>> start up
>> xpra using "xpra shadow"
> Normally, I would also also need to ask:
> * does the command output show anything useful?
> * does it show a connection attempt?
> But.. see below.
>
>> and then using another system (also happens to
>> be a macOS Catalina system) launch xpra and attempt to connect to the first by
>> specifying the IP.
> I assume that you're using the dialog GUI in "ssh" mode?

I tried both TCP and SSH from the GUI. I was testing at home and the system
I was trying to connecting from and the system I was connecting to were both
using wifi. I need to check my wifi router's settings but I'm wondering 
if the
wifi router was the issue - I may have it configured to block 
connections between
wifi devices.

>
>> So, my question is how well supported is macOS
>> currently;
>> I'm thinking my inexperience with xpra is the more likely issue so I'm
>> really just trying to determine if the problem is me or if there's still work to do
>> for macOS, with some versions of macOS being better supported than others.
> Xpra "shadow" mode used to work quite well on MacOS.
> It used to be possible to run this simple command from any remote host:
> xpra shadow ssh://USER@MACOSHOST/
> And have the MacOS desktop just show up in a window, but Apple has
> changed something yet again and so this no longer works.
>
> Note: to connect using "ssh" mode, you need to install the "PKG" images
> so that the "xpra" command will be found by the ssh connection.
>
> To make matters worse, it looks like some of the API calls we had been
> using until now no longer do anything (tested on a 10.14.x system) so
> the remote mouse clicks and keyboard events aren't emulated properly..
>
> Let me take a look at this as soon as I can and I'll get back to you.
>
> Cheers,
> Antoine
>
>
>> I'll add that I don't have the macOS firewall enabled, there's no antivirus software
>> running on the system I'm trying to access, and on that same system "sh" was added to
>> "System Preferences | Security & Privacy | Privacy | Screen Recording".
>>
>>
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I did a clean install of Big Sur on a different system and was able to 
access that
from a Windows 10 system - both systems are on the ethernet network where I
work. To get a working connection to the Big Sur system, I started the 
xpra GUI
on the Big Sur system and manually started the xpra shadow server using the
"Shadow" button in the GUI, i.e. I haven't been able to establish a 
connection to the
Big Sur system by initiating the connection from the Windows 10 system when
the Shadow server isn't already running on the Big Sur system.

If you weren't aware of this, the first time the Shadow server is 
started on a
Big Sur system, macOS prompts you with


      "sh" would like to record this computer's screen.

      Grant access to this application in Security & Privacy
      preferences, located in System Preferences.


If you click the "Open System Preferences" button, an "sh" item is added to
"Security & Privacy | Privacy | Screen Recording", but if you don't 
place a check
mark in the box to the left of "sh" in "Screen Recording", the effect of 
clicking
the mouse buttons or pressing keys on keyboard, on the system you're
connnecting from, isn't displayed on the system you're connnecting from.
For example, if I position the mouse cursor of my Windows 10 system on the
Apple menu in the xpra window for the Big Sur system and left click, the
Apple menu opens on the Big Sur system but that activity isn't displayed
in the xpra window on the Windows 10 system. The keyboard doesn't seem
to work at all until the box to the left of "sh" is checked in "Screen 
Recording".



-- 
Tom Carpenter
Biology 221 Morrill
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