I'm trying to get X11 to work on my mac when connecting to a remote machine, and having lots of trouble. I have spent all day googling to no avail. Here are my main questions:
What is the difference between ssh -X, ssh -Y, and when I do this which computer (local or remote) has the x server, and which has the clients?
Does the startx command start the x server? So if I go to my terminal and hit startx all i've done is start the xserver?
Why would I ever want to ssh into a remote computer and use startx? Would I need -X or -Y to use startx? It seems everything I've read about getting the desktop up for gnome/kde on a remote machine calls for you ro use startx. If I use startx in this scenario, who is the xserver, and who is the xclient?
Will the window managers of gnome/kde from using startx on the remote machine interfere with mac's implementation of its own x11 window manager? is there anyway to fix it?
How does something like VNC play into all of this? Is there a difference between a remote X session and just sshing into the remote machine and using startx?
What is the correct way/command to get gnome/kde to run a GUI desktop on my remote machine of the server? (so the desktop displayed on my computer is the desktop of the server)? And by desktop, I mean I want wallpaper, folders, recycle bin, etc.
If NX/VNC are the only ways to correctly have a true remote desktop in the sence of #6, why do the commands $gnome-session or $startkde bring up the desktop i want with ssh -X even though they don't work correctly?
It would be helpful if each of these were addressed individually, but if you can lead me towards some clear documentation that would be helpful too!