Re: VNC server based on kdrive using damage extension?

On Mon, Jan 26, 2004 at 11:02:51PM +0000, Mike MacCana wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-01-26 at 14:17 -0500, Bruce Bauman wrote:
> > We would like to build a lightweight X server which will operate
> > "headless". The only display device will be a remote VNC device. 
> 
> Why use VNC for this? The X protocol is already capable of proving en
> entire remote desktop on a distant PC. 
> 
> (One answer could be: you have lots of Windows clients, and unlike
> Linux / Unix / MacOS, Windows doesn't come with an X display server).

Because while X is good^Wvagely acceptable at remotey viewing a set of single 
windows over a medium bandwidth connection, it's horrifically bad dealing with 
entire desktops, especially over low-medium bandwidth connections?

(tightvnc is usable with the desktop being viewed on a 56k modem, albiet not
in the best quality, which is hideously useful for fixing other people's 
computers.  X is clearly not, tho admittedly some of the x protocol 
compression packages do make this somewhat possible, it's still not great).

> But yeah, X already comes with Xnest, which can be used to provide an
> entire remote display. Make a script to SSH into the remote machine,
> start Xnest backgrounded, expost DISPLAY to localhost:1 (Xnest's
> desktop); then run startkde or gnome-session.

I cannot even begin to explain how much of a horrifically bad solution
to the problem this is.  Replacing VNC with X is just as bad as replacing X 
with VNC.  See "right tool for the job".

> However, AFAIK its not updated to do some of the nifty things you can do
> with a real graphics card (particularly randr, it'd be really nice to
> have the Xnest root window resize when the Xnest application window is
> resized).

Maybe you'd like to fix it - although I disagree with your assertion that 
it's useful for real world applications, it'd be a useful testbed
sometimes:).

	-- jj

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