Running VNC viewer without opening a console

To start your VNC viewer without opening the console at all, try [Alt]+[F2] from your desktop environment, which on most will present you with a dialog where you can type in your command to start the viewer without opening a console at all. If it's something you start often, consider setting up a desktop entry file and save it somewhere handy (like your desktop or application menu) with a name like TightVNC.desktop, eg:

[Desktop Entry]

Exec=xtightvncviewer myhost

Name=TightVNC to myhost

Terminal=false

Type=Application

Alternatively, if you're already at the console you could achieve this with a utility called "screen", which is kind of like a window manager for your console. Start screen with

$ screen

Create a new window with [CTRL]+[A], [c] and you'll find yourself back at your shell's prompt. Start your VNC viewer as normal at the prompt, then detach the screen from the current terminal with [CTRL]+[A], [d]. This will drop you back to your shell again, but this time if you leave that session, screen (along with your VNC viewer) will keep running.

3 years ago