23 Nov Real VNC
Real VNC
Although we have not used this particular product, below is information from their web site at www.realvnc.com.
What it is
RealVNC is a UK company founded in 2002 by a team from the world-leading AT&T Laboratories in Cambridge. The company was established to commercially develop, enhance and promote VNC, the innovative remote access software with a widespread international user base.
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) software makes it possible to view and fully-interact with one computer from any other computer or mobile device anywhere on the Internet. VNC software is cross-platform, allowing remote control between different types of computer. For ultimate simplicity, there is even a Java viewer, so that any desktop can be controlled remotely from within a browser without having to install software.
VNC has a wide range of applications including system administration, IT support and helpdesks. It can also be used to support the mobile user, both for hot desking within the enterprise and also to provide remote access at home, or on the road. The system allows several connections to the same desktop, providing an invaluable tool for collaborative or shared working in the workplace or classroom. Computer support within the geographically spread family is an ever popular use.
The open source version of VNC has been freely available since 1998, and more than 20 million copies of the software have been downloaded. The software has also appeared on numerous magazine cover disks, and for several years all popular versions of Linux have included VNC. It is in active use by many millions in industry, commerce, education and at home. Virtually all Fortune 500 companies use VNC, and installations of VNC across thousands of workstations are commonplace.
Today, the RealVNC team has re-designed and re-implemented the VNC system. Compatible with the original protocols, the system is now an extremely flexible, modular and scaleable platform for vertical development, integration and licensing.
What makes VNC different from other systems? |
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VNC differs from other remote display systems in three crucial ways: 1. It is fully cross-platform. A desktop running on a Linux machine may be displayed on a Windows PC, on a Solaris machine, or on any number of other architectures. There is a Java viewer so that any desktop can be viewed with any Java-capable browser. There is a Windows server, allowing you to view the desktop of a remote Windows machine on any of these platforms using exactly the same viewer. The simplicity of the protocol makes it easy to port to new platforms and other people have therefore ported VNC to a huge variety of platforms. 2. It is small and simple. The Windows viewer, for example, is about 150K in size and can be run directly from a floppy. The entire Java viewer is substantially less than 100K and takes less time to download than the images on some web pages. 3. It is free! You can download it, use it, and redistribute it under the terms of the GNU General Public License. |