Gemsvnc

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Gemsvnc is a VNC (Virtual Network Computing) server for Unix-like systems that run the X Windowing System.

Unlike most Unix hosted VNC servers, which are also X-servers, and serve an X environment that they maintain internally, gemsvnc, like its predecessors x0rfbserver and x11vnc, which is distributed with libvncserver, is only a VNC server, but not an X-server. It attaches to an already running X-server and permits remote control of that X-server from the vncviewer. This is desirable when one is using VNC for a customer service or training tool, or where special graphics hardware (such as OpenGL) is being used so that a normal vncserver would not work.

Gemsvnc incorporates a number of command line options to make the scanning of the X framebuffer tunable for optimizing it to a particular application. There are also capabilities for making certain rectangular regions of the framebuffer read-only, or completely hidden. These features are there to permit the enforcing of security policies in relation to the application that is running in the framebuffer.

Gemsvnc was written in 2002 by R. J. Brown (rj@elilabs.com) as a major enhancement to X0rfbserver and x11vnc. Gemsvnc is licensed under the GPL.