I recently got the IDL student version and installed it on my MacBook
(2 G Intel Core Duo, OS X 10.4.7). The installation was smooth (but I
think I left X11 running at the same time). When I first started idl it
reported below:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IDL Student Edition 6.2, Mac OS X (darwin ppc m32). (c) 2005, Research
Systems, Inc.
% X windows protocol error: BadRequest (invalid request code or no such
  operation).
Installation number: 001.
Licensed for use by: IDL Student Version
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But I can still plot using X windows. However, after I restarted my
computer and try idl again, I don't get the plot but some report saying
X windows doesn't work... But I restarted it again and it works
normally although still with the same message above (i.e. protocol
error ...)

I am wondering what problem could this be... Is this related to Intel
processor? since the IDL seems to be built for PPC?

ZMY writes:

> I recently got the IDL student version and installed it on my MacBook
> (2 G Intel Core Duo, OS X 10.4.7). The installation was smooth (but I
> think I left X11 running at the same time). When I first started idl it
> reported below:
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> IDL Student Edition 6.2, Mac OS X (darwin ppc m32). (c) 2005, Research
> Systems, Inc.
> % X windows protocol error: BadRequest (invalid request code or no such
>   operation).
> Installation number: 001.
> Licensed for use by: IDL Student Version
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> But I can still plot using X windows. However, after I restarted my
> computer and try idl again, I don't get the plot but some report saying
> X windows doesn't work... But I restarted it again and it works
> normally although still with the same message above (i.e. protocol
> error ...)
> 
> I am wondering what problem could this be... Is this related to Intel
> processor? since the IDL seems to be built for PPC?

I wonder if this article explains you problem:

   http://www.dfanning.com/tips/maccrash.html

Cheers,

David

-- 
David Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Sepore ma de ni thui. ("Perhaps thou speakest truth.")

IDL is not a true "Mac" standalone application.

What you can double-click from Finder is an application launcher, that
will try to run the idlde application under X11.

Now, not all of these launchers always work. I have seen such
launcher-applications fail under various Linuxes, under Gnome or KDE,
and also under CDE on AIX, particularly in conjunction with IDL, but
sometimes with other software.

So you may be looking at a problem that concerns "application
launchers" more generally, rather than a particular OS X or X11
problem.

You may want to try to not start IDL as standalone application, but
directly from within X11. I usually do it like that and do not get any
particular errors.

Here is what I'd do:

- start X11

- pull down the Applications > Customize Menu... command

- click the "Add" button

- double click into the newly created empty row under "menu name",
  and enter something sensible, such as "IDL 6.3"

- double click into the newly created empty row under "command",
  and put the pathname to the application which is effectively started,

  i.e. 'idlde'. Typically, that path will be as follows, but make sure
you
  really get that right:

   /Applications/rsi/idl_6.3/bin/idlde

If you then want to launch IDL, you'd first start X11, and pull down
the IDL command from the Applications menu.

I'd be surprised if you'd still get that error with this type of
application starting?