No special privileges or quotas are required to run DX. DX (and, indeed, visualisation software in general) tends to be quite profligate in its use of computing resources. Files containing generated images can require a significant amount of disk space, and in particular files containing animations can be extremely large. Generating visualisations is computationally intensive and can require substantial amounts of computer memory. Therefore it is sensible to run DX on the computer with the fastest processor and largest physical memory to which you have convenient access.
DX is available for Digital Unix/alpha and Solaris/Sun. Your site manager should be able to advise which is available at your site.
To use DX you need a display capable of receiving X-output (typically an X-terminal or a workstation console). DX will run on a black and white display, but realistically you need a colour display3.
To start DX, ensure that your display is configured to receive X-output and then simply type:
The following message should appear on your command terminal:
and a new window (technically the canvas for the DX visual programming editor) should appear. If DX fails to start properly then consult your site manager who should be able to advise. The most likely reason is that DX is not installed at your site. The Starlink extensions to DX, SX, should be automatically available when you start DX. If they are not available then check that your site manager has installed them.
It is possible to start DX without the Starlink enhancements, SX. Again ensure that your terminal is configured to receive X-output. Then type:
Followed by:
DX should now start, as above, but the Starlink enhancements will not be available.
If you have disabled the Starlink enhancements, SX, then you can re-instate them by typing:
Then start DX as normal: ensure that your terminal is configured to receive X-output and type:
DX should now start with the Starlink enhancements available.
3For example, with a black and white display the various icons for modules in the visual programming editor are only partly visible.