[Bradford] remote desktop X11 access

[David Spencer]

> I used to use ... the method to connect via the gdm login screen ( name
> escapes me xdmcp?)

yep thats the bunny

> but this no longer works due to 1. network manager doesnt' work untill
> logged on 2. Ubuntu have dropped the old GDM for a rewrite
> I've tried vnc but due to screen sizes the laptop can't display all the
> desktops screen and I had to logon 1st on the dedktop , bit of a pain and
> counter productive
> unless i've missed something p
> 
> so any other ideas or tips would be fantastic

ssh -l <username> -Y <host>

(the important bit is the '-Y')
and then kick off your apps from the command line (backgrounded with a &
on the end)

(-- although, disconcertingly, firefox will cleverly open a new window
*locally* if you already have a *local* instance running, instead of
starting a remote instance like you might want and expect.  But that's
an exception)

(And there are some longstanding bugs with some gtk2 apps that cause
black/broken icons or an X error the first time in a particular login
that you fire them up -- just fire it up a second time and it'll work)

(all things considered, you might be best off persisting in getting
tightvnc working the way you want it (and btw I would deffo recommend
tightvnc over plain old vnc).  Anyway basically all you need is to add
-geometry <width>x<height> to the vncserver command line or apparently
these days you can somehow set it in /etc/tightvncserver.conf or in
~/.vnc/tightvncserver.conf)

(Yours (parenthetically))
-D.
(ps. i hate lithp)