MiniVNC V1.4, New TightVNC File Uploads, Bug Fixes!

This release fixes several small bugs and adds one major new feature!

• Added file upload capability when using TightVNC version 2 client!
• Fixed graphical glitches with HexTile
• Fixed memory errors with TRLE at 0 and 1 compression levels
• Fixed issue where server would not restart after client disconnect

Compatibility

The file transfer feature will only work on a color Macintosh with a 68020. This is because B&W Macs can only use TRLE encoding, which only works with a RealVNC client. RealVNC has it's own file transfer capabilities, but it is undocumented, so I cannot implement it in MiniVNC.

How to Upload Files to your Mac

To enable file uploads, check the "Use TightVNC features" in the "Server Options" window:

Then, launch the TightVNC client and in the Remote Host field, type the address of the running MiniVNC server followed by ":5900"

Once the connection is made, you will get a password prompt. This is required by the TightVNC protocol, but password checking is not implemented in MiniVNC, so any password will work.

Once the connection is made, click the "Transfer Files..." button on the toolbar:

You will then be presented with a "Transfer Files..." dialog box. Select files on the left-hand side, navigate to a destination on the right-side and then click the ">>" button to transfer them to your Mac!

The file transfer process is intended for transferring archive files like ".hqx" and ".bin" to your Mac from a PC and is not intended for Mac native files with a resource fork.

Are file transfers from the Mac supported?

At the moment, no, and doing so would present a few challenges. A file on a vintage Mac consists of two forks, a data and a resource fork, and a multi-platform tool like TightVNC only works with files with a single fork. If I implemented downloads, what could I do if the user selected a Mac file that had both forks? Would I transfer only the data fork, leading to a potentially unusable file? Would I cause the transfer to fail? Would I silently re-encode the file as BinHex? None of these options seem ideal, so before contemplating this feature I would need some feedback on what would be the use cases.

MiniVNC V1.3, Reduced Memory Consumption, Better Compatibility, More Features!

This is a significant update, with greatly reduced memory consumption and better compatibility!

• Added the ability to copy and paste into the remote system.
• Fixed crash with TurboVNC.
• Split out the code for color Macs, ZRLE compression, and logging:
  • The required modules will be loaded into memory only when needed.
  • Hextile, TRLE, and ZRLE now use significantly less RAM.

MiniVNC V1.2, Major Upgrade, New Interface, Enhanced Compatibility!

This is a major update, with a completely redone user interface, new encoders and far better compatibility.

• Added Hextile and ZRLE encodings, which allows TightVNC, VNCThing, MacVNC and macOS Screen Sharing to work
• Added a Server Options window for configuration
• Added the ability to hide all windows to declutter the desktop
• Added the cursor pseudo-encoding to allow VNC clients to render a local image of the cursor
• Added the ability to hide the remote cursor for far better performance and fewer screen updates
• Added a Server Logs window for troubleshooting
• All settings are now stored in a "MiniVNC Preferences" file in your Preferences folder

MiniVNC V1.1, Major Upgrade, New Interface, Enhanced Compatibility!

UPDATE: Due to a major issue with v1.1, this release has been replaced with MiniVNC v1.2

[March 19th] Support more display resolutions

What's New:

• This version should correctly support the Apple Lisa display resolutions of 720x364 and 608x431

Standard vs. Bonus Archive:

This release is split into two archives. The standard archive includes a combined application for color and B&W Macs that should meet most users' needs.

As a special reward to GitHub sponsors at the "Sustaining Supporter" tier or above, I am providing a 🎁 bonus archive with additional perks. These perks are:

• Headless Server Mode: When placed in the "Startup Items", the GitHub Sponsors Edition of MiniVNC automatically starts listening for connections at system boot, allowing it to be used on Macs without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor.
• Different Compression Levels: These are the custom builds from the previous releases, allowing experimentation with different compression modes. It also includes the dedicated B&W build, in case you want to compare it to the combined build.
• RaSCSI System 7.0.1 Boot Image: This disk image includes a complete installation of System 7.0.1 pre-configured with MacTCP, DaynaPort SCSI/Link drivers and MiniVNC running in headless mode, which allows RaSCSI users to boot and remotely control a Macintosh with zero configuration and even without an ADB mouse and keyboard. This disk image can be mounted in Basillisk II for manipulation.

Please refer to your sponsorship welcome letter or GitHub sponsor dashboard for the archive password.

[March 10th] Keyboard Support; Combined B&W and Color Mode; Headless Mode; RaSCSI Boot Disk

What's New:

• This version supports keyboard input
• This version adds a menu bar and an About box with additional credits.
• The color and B&W functionality have been combined, allowing one application to serve both users. While there may be theoretical performance gains in using a dedicated B&W build, my testing does not reveal a practical difference.
• Fixes some bugs in the monochrome encoder

Standard vs. Bonus Archive:

With this release, I am splitting the release into two archives. The standard release includes a combined application for color and B&W Macs that should meet most users' needs.

As a special reward to GitHub sponsors at the "Sustaining Supporter" tier or above, I am providing a 🎁 bonus archive with additional perks. These perks are:

• Headless Server Mode: When placed in the "Startup Items", the GitHub Sponsors Edition of MiniVNC automatically starts listening for connections at system boot, allowing it to be used on Macs without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor.
• Different Compression Levels: These are the custom builds from the previous releases, allowing experimentation with different compression modes. It also includes the dedicated B&W build, in case you want to compare it to the combined build.
• RaSCSI System 7.0.1 Boot Image: This disk image includes a complete installation of System 7.0.1 pre-configured with MacTCP, DaynaPort SCSI/Link drivers and MiniVNC running in headless mode, which allows RaSCSI users to boot and remotely control a Macintosh with zero configuration and even without an ADB mouse and keyboard. This disk image can be mounted in Basillisk II for manipulation.

Please refer to your sponsorship welcome letter or GitHub sponsor dashboard for the archive password.

[March 6th] Third Beta Release; Improved Performance

This release tweaks the encoding for far better performance on an LC II and hopefully on other Macs as well.

This release still lacks the following features:

• Keyboard support
• Password authentication

[March 5th] Second Beta Release v0.6b

This version still needs performance tuning, so expect things to be a bit laggy for now. This release is mostly so I can start getting feedback on what works and what does not.

This version corrects the following issues:

• The display was garbled on an actual LC II computer, rather than Basillisk II.
• Corrects the dialog box on exit, which was being rendered incorrectly.
• Doing compression slows things down, so this release makes the uncompressed version standard. The other compression levels are provided in a folder.

[March 5th] First Alpha Testing Release v0.5a

This is the first public release of MiniVNC. Please post your feedback on the discussion forum

This release should provide the basic functionality for color and B&W Macs, but the following things are yet to be done:

• Implement authentication for better compatibility with clients
• Implement keyboard control