"Virtual network computing (VNC), a remote access
application from AT&T Laboratories Cambridge, is a great tool
for remote desktop viewing and manipulation. Its core function is
to allow the user to use the VNC client to connect to a host
running the VNC server and remotely use the server's desktop.
Keyboard and mouse updates are sent to the server, and snapshots of
the server's desktop are compressed and sent back to the client via
the VNC protocol. A few of VNC's most compelling features are:
excellent platform portability, an open-source code base,
conservative bandwidth usage and excellent pricing (free!).
For this review I have evaluated VNC primarily in three areas:
stability, performance and portability. Below, I also compare VNC
to X to illustrate the domain of usefulness for each.
I tested using all machines involved as both server and client
under all operating systems installed. Under Linux my test
applications were xterm, Netscape 4.7, KDE, StarOffice 5 and the
GIMP. Under Windows my test applications were command.com (or
cmd.exe when applicable), Internet Explorer 5.5, Microsoft Word
2000 and Adobe Photoshop. Both platforms used unmodified copies of
the current versions of VNC, 3.3.3r2/3.3.3r9 (Linux/Windows), both
available on the web site. The results were somewhat
predictable."
