Free alternatives for RDP, ICA and similar protocols

Question

I'm currently working on an a program idea I've had that involves desktop remoting. I'm looking for the most efficient way for desktop streaming from server to client. I've been reading on the issue and the RDP and ICA protocols sound very interesting. Is there some sort of a similar protocol which is free for commercial use?

Answer 1

VNC solutions exist for both Windows and Linux (e.g. RealVNC, tightVNC, ultraVNC) and are a good option (but don't make as efficient use of bandwidth as RDP does - when RDP is an option). Another newer option is delivered by the relatively new HTML 5 Canvas technology. Check out remotespark.com's solution. This approach delivers the desktop through the browser over common ports (80 or 443), is pretty simple to setup, and is more responsive (IMHO) than VNC solutions.