VNCviewer for Macintosh
Beta 1 - 16/7/98 .
Note. This is a beta release. As with all VNC software, you use at
your own risk! The source code will be available in the near future,
after which we will welcome any bug fixes.
Requirements:
To use the Macintosh VNCviewer, you will need:
-
MacOS 7.1 or greater,
-
the Threads Manager,
-
and Open Transport (1.1.1 or later) or MacTCP, though OT will work much
better.
Introduction:
Use of the Mac viewer should be straightforward if you are familiar with
the concepts behind VNC, and have a suitable VNC server running on another
machine. Read 'What
is VNC?' and 'Getting
Started' on the VNC web site if you haven't already done so - they'll
give you a good overview, despite being Unix and Windows-orientated.
On starting the program, you are presented with a dialog box requesting
the server name and display number. Type, eg. 'snoopy:0', or select a recent
connection from the pull-down list. You can type a dotted IP address in
place of the name, eg: '192.168.1.3:0'. You can also pop up
a list of options, the important ones are:
-
Share desktop
When you make a connection to a VNC server, all other existing connections
are normally closed. This option requests that they be left open,
allowing you to share the desktop with someone already using it.
-
Allow only 8-bit encoding
This forces the viewer to request simple 8-bit true-colour (BGR233)
from the server regardless of local or remote pixel depth, which can reduce
network traffic. Useful over modems.
-
View only
In View-only mode, no mouse or keyboard events will be sent back to
the server. This is useful for teaching sessions or other situations where
you want to observe but don't want to interfere.
-
Scale desktop to window
This scales the remote display to fit the local window. This
is a bit rough at present, but may be useful in certain circumstances.
If the connection is successful, you will be asked for your password, after
which the remote desktop should appear. The File.. menu will allow
you to start new sessions. The Connections menu lists open
connections, along with icons representing their current status. See the 'Symbol Reference' option on the Apple menu for a description of
these icons.
Holding down Alt while clicking the mouse button will send a middle-button
press, and holding down Cmd will send a right-button. Note that in the
beta viewer, the Alt will get through as well, so Alt-click actually gives
you Alt-middle-button. These options can be modified from the
menu.
Other features:
Keeping your finger on the Propeller key (sometimes called the Command
key) when starting off brings up the extra preferences box.
-
Enable Logging - will trigger the production of log files
-
Kill Preferences - Delete the preferences file and prevent this session's
preferences being recorded. The only thing currently stored in the
preferences file is the list of recent connections.
Known Issues:
The "Scale to window" option is not pixel perfect, causing some redraws
to be offset by one pixel. This causes a ripple effect as the mouse moves
about. This option also does not preserve aspect ratio.
The 'enter password' dialog has been implemented at the expense of thread
harmony. . Taking a long time to enter the password might slow the program
down for a short time after logging in.
Any comments regarding this program should be directed to the VNC
mailing list.
For comments, feedback, etc, please see the 'Keeping
in touch' page.
Copyright 1998 - The Olivetti & Oracle Research
Lab