Let's say instead of installing a vnc I want to use X11 forwarding with ssh. The problem is X11 forwarding doesn't show the current desktop; it only shows you new graphical windows.
How can I use X11 forwarding to view the current desktop?
2 Answers
No, X11 forwarding does not show the desktop. It forwards just the applications windows to your local display. You can't forward whole desktop environment easily by standard ssh -X pi.
Unfortunately X forwarding is not designed to be like VNC. But: There may be a solution with FreeNX from NoMachine. Unfortunately I am just starting to find out how. OpenNX may give what you need.
gnome-sessioncan bring up a desktop, but that does not show the current desktop.