Yes, but not in this case :-)
While the NX client works on Windows, the NX server is strictly Unix-
based. Since the original question asked about "remote desktop", the
assumption is that he was asking about clients for Windows RDP or
Terminal Services ... and that means that he wants to connect to a
Windows desktop.
Now VNC *will* do that and for those people who must access a Windows
box that isn't RDP capable (not Windows Server or XP Professional),
it does a fine job. I use it often in that role. If you *do* have
access to RDP, though, it's silly (IMO) to use VNC. RDP is
incomparably better in every way that I can think of. Well, it's
from Microsoft and non-free so there's that ... but from a usability
point of view, it's nearly unbeatable.
Since I waded this far into the pool, I might as well go farther :-)
Kurt Granroth's Totally Opinionated Guide to Remote Desktop Access:
1. Connecting to a Linux desktop (KDE/Gnome/etc)
NX is the clear winner if you have a graphics rich desktop or
will be using the desktop for hours at a time. FreeNX does take a
bit of effort to get going, though, and while Nomachine's version is
much simpler, it isn't free. It's worth the time or the money if you
access a Linux desktop remotely regularly. Each NX release is
noticeably better than the last so always get the latest. There are
clients for Linux, Windows, and OS X.
VNC isn't a bad choice if you don't want to spend any time at all
setting it up AND you will only be accessing the desktop for short
spells. VNC also allows desktop sharing and other niceties so it's a
common tool in any remote administrator's toolbox. There are clients
for nearly everything that runs on a computer chip.
2. Connecting to a Windows desktop
Terminal Services or Remote Desktop (RDP) will blow you away the
first time you use it. It's incredibly responsive, trivial to set up
and use, and makes it feel like you are using the desktop locally ...
even over a normal cable modem connection. It also allows multiple
people to be logged in at one time (possibly.. it doesn't use the
visible desktop in any event). Unfortunately, you need XP Pro (NOT
XP Home) or Server to use it. If you *are* using XP Pro, then there
is no contest as to what you should use. Windows and OS X have
official clients. Linux has rdesktop (and some apps that 'wrap'
rdesktop). On Linux, make sure you have the latest and greatest
rdesktop ... the newest version has MUCH better support for graphic
rich desktops than previous versions.
VNC works very well if you are connecting to the millions of
Windows systems that aren't running XP Pro. It's trivial to setup
and use. It also is good for remote admin due to it's sharing
capabilities. That's a bit of a downside as well since you access
the primary visible desktop with VNC so only one user can be logged
in at a time. I tend to install a VNC server on every single Windows
system I have access to, just as a reflex. I don't tend to use it on
the XP Pro systems, but it's still nice to have, just in case. One
note: Get TightVNC or UltraVNC with the special drivers. If you
haven't used VNC in a few years or are still loyal to the original
WinVNC (or RealVNC), you're missing out. The new TightVNC and
UltraVNC are many times more responsive and better and updating
windows than the older VNC servers were. Still not anywhere near
close to RDP ... but very good nonetheless!
3. Connecting to a OS X desktop
VNC. All other solutions cost an obscene amount of money. VNC
is pretty much the only reasonable way to remotely access a Mac
desktop. It has so-so responsiveness. It's good enough to do simple
admin tasks remotely but I wouldn't want to do anything that takes a
while or has active graphics.
On Aug 25, 2005, at 4:06 PM, Donn wrote:
> Also, quoting Kurt Granroth from another thread:
>
> "An alternative to a GUI admin tool would be NX (www.nomachine.com or
> http://freenx.berlios.de/). NX uses SSH by default so no need for
> workarounds. NX is MUCH better than VNC for graphical environments
> over
> non-LAN connections. Really, once you've run something like KDE or
> Gnome
> over NX, you'll never want to go back to VNC again."
>
> On 8/25/05, Donn <dlshumway@gmail.com> wrote: Don't forget the ever
> popular vnc. It will install and run well on any distribution I
> have tried it on.
>
>
> On 8/25/05, Lyndon Tiu < ltiu@alumni.sfu.ca> wrote:There is also a
> KDE client called krdc.
>
> On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 13:46:03 -0700 plug-
> discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us wrote:
> > On Thu, 25 Aug 2005 13:39:40 -0700, Robert Rosenwald writes:
> > >Is there a remote desktop client for Linux?
> > >
> >
> > http://rdesktop.sourceforge.net/
> >
> > and a gui:
> > http://www.nongnu.org/grdesktop/
> > ---------------------------------------------------
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>
>
> --
> Donn
> "Sarcasm is the safe alternative to expressing anger."
> --Richard North Patterson
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