Using Mac as X11 display server for app running on Linux

Hello all,
I am in the midst of learning Arabic, and am trying to get to the point of becoming comfortable with computing on Arabic screens with Arabic menus, etc. The Mac doesn't support this for Arabic, although it does for many other languages. (Neither does the Windows box, apparently, on a user by user basis. It looks like I would have to install Arabic Windows to get Arabic GUI. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.)
On my Linux server, however, I have most of my applications set up for multiple languages, and this works fine. I have a user set up who is my Arabic-speaking alterego with his default language set to Arabic and most applications respect it. However, the display for my Linux server is in a cramped corner, while the iMac, of course, sits proudly on my desk. It occurs to me that I should be able to use X11 for Mac so I can learn to think in Arabic in regal splendor.
I have X11 installed on here - I use it for OpenOffice locally - but am having trouble getting an application on the Linux box to see my display. Here is what I am doing:
- I do xhost + on the Mac side (merepoint) to permit remote connections.
- From the X11 terminal program on the Mac, I ssh over to my Linux server (openocean). I have tried ssh with no command line switches and with -X and with -Y. None of them appear to set the DISPLAY environment variable on the Linux box.
- I run a Gnome or KDE application in the Linux session and it immediately doesn't find a display. It indicates an empty display string. (What a surprise.)
- I run the command over there specifying -display merepoint:0 and it pauses and then doesn't find the display. This feels like the Mac isn't listening for remote connections or listens on some other port or display ID. I can ping back to my iMac just fine so it isn't confused about IP address or naming.
What do I need to do (at either end) to allow the connection to go through?
There appear to be no hardware issues. I'm not sure how the security, etc. works with X beyond opening or closing stuff from the display server with xhost. ssh and .Xauthority also comes into the mix somewhere, I think, but I'm confused as to the role they play and how they interact. I don't know if the X stuff on the Mac needs some special tweak to listen for remote connections. I didn't see any switches about that in the X11 preferences.
Eventually, I'd like to use Command-Opt-A to switch between my Mac screen and full-screen kdm login to the Linux box so I don't need to run over there. Any hints for getting that arrangement working - beyond the obvious user preference for full-screen, which works fine - would be valuable as well.
RalphM
iMac G4 20" Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Thank you! Setting up "X11Forwarding yes" on the server side and restarting sshd did the trick. Now from my ssh session, I can do "LANG=ar_LB gedit" on the command line and get gedit with Arabic menus.
I found that I could even get my whole desktop up, albeit with some amusing things happening with sound across the room, using startkde. Is there a better way to get this effect?
Now I can just log in as my Arabic alterego and it should all work pretty well.
RalphM

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@Znackattack

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