helping a new Ubuntu user

[Mark Barton]

Hi Norman

norman wrote:
> My brother is in the process of converting from Windows to Ubuntu and is
> quite computerate. However, I am expected to be the fount of all
> knowledge about Ubuntu whereas I am really pretty ignorant. The
> difficulty is that we are several hundred kilometres apart and sometimes
> it is quite difficult to visualise what he is seeing on his monitor from
> his descriptions. It would be most useful if I were able to see his
> monitor screen and I wondered if this were possible for a relative
> rookie like me.
>
> There must be lots of you who have had similar problems and I would
> welcome any useful advice you can pass to me. Who knows, if I am
> successful in converting my brother to Ubuntu others in the family may
> follow.
>
> Norman
>
>
>   
Yes and it easy to use. At least on Hardy using the gnome desktop, you 
can enable the server on you brother computer in 
System-.Preferences->Remote Desktop. You can specify a password if 
desired. On your machine, the client, you would use the remote desktop 
viewer in Application->Internet->Remote Desktop Viewer to view and 
control the remote desktop. I don't remember if the viewer was from a 
stock Hardy install or I had to pull it from the repositories. You can 
also use a terminal base program called vncviewer available from the 
respositories. Make sure that port 5900 is not blocked by your router or 
firewall.

Having said that, I understand there is a bug in Hardy that may cause 
some grief.  I have had lost connection issues with tightvnc viewer 
running on windows and the gnome based desktop server.

Enabling the remote desktop server is not very secure even if you use a 
password although it is better than nothing. I would  enable the remote 
desktop only when necessary. There are several other slight more complex 
ways of doing the same thing which are much more secure. Perhaps someone 
more knowledgeable than me can chime in.

Mark