VNC is well-known for allowing the remote control of another desktop machine via your own computer. For instance, using VNC you can easily control your home PC from work, and vice versa. The problem with VNC is that it's not overly secure and it can be quite slow, particularly if you have a lot of fancy graphics or backgrounds on the remote computer. Other solutions also exist for remote control of a GUI, such as running X over ssh, proprietary tools like Apple's Remote Desktop, etc., but they all tend to have the same drawbacks; they are either insecure or tend to be slow.

A newer protocol known as NX is now available that will run on Linux, Windows, or OS X that allows you to remotely control a desktop system without loss of speed or lack of security. A free implementation of the NX server component, known as FreeNX, working in conjunction with the commercial NX clients (which are free to use) allows one to easily control a remote desktop.

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