Using screen/Tmux to keep application running

Question

I'm wondering if this is possible.

I have my Linux Machine running at my workplace and I want to have XChat (IRC Client) running there all the time.

I want to be able to connect to that client from my Mac using Terminal and I have heard we can accomplish something like this using tmux or screen

Right now I'm able to do something like

~myMacOSX:$ ssh -X [email protected]

Then

~username:$ xchat

At this point the window will be open and I can use it, but once I'm done I want to close just the window on my Mac but not the actual process, so if the next day I will go to work I still have the same window open there.

Is that possible? or am I misunderstood something here?

Answer 1

The default answer, without using VNC or NX, is: can't be done. That being said, there are a couple work-arounds.

Assuming that you want to be able to pull up XChat and see anything that's been said while you were disconnected, you'd just need to add something like Bip or ZNC between your existing XChat and the outside world. To anyone in IRC, it would appear that you never left, and you'd be able to see anything that was said while your client was disconnected.

I'm not sure about ZNC, but Bip allows you to connect multiple clients to a single connection. You should still be able to access XChat by running:

~myMacOSX:$ ssh -X [email protected]

Technically, it's running a second client but anything you type in one should be visible in the other.