Short: VNC Remote Screen and Keyboard access for BeOS.
Author: agmsmith@ncf.ca (Alexander G. M. Smith)
Uploader: agmsmith@ncf.ca (Alexander G. M. Smith)
Website: http://web.ncf.ca/au829/
Version: 4.0-BeOS-AGMS-1.22
Type: Internet & Network / Servers / Remote Access
Requires: BeOS 5.0+

VNCServer lets you use your BeOS computer from anywhere there is an Internet
connection.  You can think of it as a really long keyboard, mouse and video
cable.  A VNC client (available elsewhere for Windows, Mac, Linux, others)
shows you the BeOS screen and sends keystrokes and mouse actions to your BeOS
system over the Internet.  The VNCServer software running on BeOS takes that
data from the client, and simulates button presses on a fake keyboard and
movements of an imaginary mouse.  In the opposite direction, it scans your BeOS
screen for changes, compresses the resulting graphics data and transmits it to
the client.

This is a port of VNC using RealVNC's version 4.0 final source code (which has
an extremely well designed class structure, making it easy to do this port).
There are lots of VNC clients out there, but I can recommend the RealVNC ones
as working very well under Windows.  You can get their clients, servers and
source code at http://www.realvnc.com/

Installation and Use

To install it do these steps, reverse to uninstall.  Just do the last step to
use it after you have installed it:

1.  Unzip the archive file.

2.  Move the "InputEventInjector" file into the
    /boot/home/config/add-ons/input_server/devices/ folder.  You can just drag
    and drop it into the conveniently included symbolic link to that directory.
    This small program is the fake keyboard and mouse simulator, which can also
    be used by other programs to inject other user action events into the BeOS
    Input Server.

3.  Move the vncpasswd and vncserver files to /boot/home/config/bin (or
    wherever you keep command line utilities).

4.  Start up Terminal and run the "vncpasswd" command.  It will prompt you for
    a password for people to use when they want to access your BeOS computer
    over the Internet.  Without a password, anyone could take control of your
    computer!  It saves the password in encrypted form in the
    /boot/home/config/settings/VNCServer/passwd file.

5.  Also in Terminal, restart the input server so that it notices the new
    InputEventInjector fake keyboard/mouse thing.  You only need to do this
    once.  A reboot or typing in this command will do it:
    /system/servers/input_server -q

6.  Start up the "vncserver" program whenever you want to allow people to
    connect.  If you want to see error messages (such as one telling you that
    your video card isn't supported), or specify extra startup options or see
    its help file, start it in a Terminal window (use "vncserver -h" for help).
    When you're done, use the Process Controller Deskbar add-on to send a "Quit
    Application" command to vncserver (it's running as a background program so
    you don't see it listed in the regular Deskbar) to make it shut down.

Recent Changes:

Version 1.22, November 2011: The fake cross cursor is now on by default
("vncserver ShowCheapCursor=1") and it has been changed to a larger and more
colourful shape for better visibility when using an iPad VNC client.

VNCServer is released under the GNU General Public License.  See LICENSE.TXT
for details.

- Alex (Ottawa, November 2011)