Enable Xubuntu remote desktop access with Vino VNC

Xubuntu 14.04 does not come with VNC working out of the box which is frustrating and feels like a step backwards. So here is how I enabled VNC on Xubuntu...

Fix TightVNCServer not showing Unity menu & tool bars under Ubuntu 12.04

XTightVNCServer under Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin does not start correctly. Using the default settings on Ubuntu 12.04 the remote desktop session is not started properly when VNC Server is launched. A user connecting to VNC Server in Virtual Mode will see a desktop background but will not see any other desktop features such as the Unity toolbars or launcher. To fix this the xstartup file should be modified, here's how...

Fix VNC (Vino-server) screen refreshing in Ubuntu 12.04

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Precise Pangolin's default VNC server for remote desktop sharing is vino (vino-server). Out of the box under the Unity interface it is incredibly slow to refresh for me. To speed it up I've tried to disable the background desktop wallpaper on client connection and to optimise the settings. Here are the tweaks I tried...

Ubuntu remote desktop does not refresh issue (Nvidia + Vino VNC)

This seems to be a common issue for people using the built-in Ubuntu remote desktop server, vino, and the proprietary Nvidia drivers along with compiz visual effects; whereby the remote desktop screen on the VNC client fails to update unless you reconnect to the server. There seem to be plenty of bugs lying around open for this issue and it seems to affect a range of VNC servers (it doesn't impact TightVNC from my experience) a work around is as follows:

TightVNCServer on Ubuntu (HP Microserver build)

As part of the HP Microserver build: seeking to have a backup remote administration (VNC) service I opted to install TightVNCServer. TightVNC is a free remote control software package which allows you to see the desktop of a remote machine and control it with your local mouse and keyboard, just like you would do it sitting in the front of that computer. TightVNC is free for both personal and commercial usage, and compatible with standard VNC software. The main reasons for installing TightVNC are that I often find it to be faster and more responsive than the Ubuntu built-in Remote Desktop VNC server, vino, and also I find that vino can often be unreliable with the screen not updating. Read on...