Remote access and SFTP server setup for newbies

[ohcrapgorillas]

Hey all, I'm running Linux Mint 12. Here's what I want to do:

-be able to access the desktop environment and command line via the internet from my Windows laptop (NOT over the network! I'm not that lazy.)
-set up a simple SFTP server for my own uses as well as to give some friends access to some files and an "upload" folder

I know that OpenSSH is capable of both of these things. I also know that TightVNC can help me with remote access, and that other programs like vsftpd can serve as an FTP server. Now I've done tons of Googling--sitting down for several hours for the last few weekends--and I can't find anything on setting up SSH to forward X and how to use its SFTP server functionality that makes the least bit of sense to me, OR a straightforward guide to setting up an FTP server or using TightVNC over the internet that makes the least bit of sense to me.

I've been using Linux for about six months, so I'm not a total noob. I don't mind editing config files, but since 3/4 of them usually make no sense at all to me I tend to prefer GUIs.

My questions are:
-Which do you recommend: using OpenSSH for both, or using VNC/some FTP server?
-Are there any programs out there that provide a GUI for managing both, or alternatively some websites that break down the process of editing these config files that I've missed in my traverses through the internet?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Atom

[vanDoom]

I prefer using SSH for accessing the command line, but have not really used any remote desktop utilities. For FTP, I like Filezilla a lot. If you are using a router you will need to set up port forwarding on port 20, which is very easy. You should not have to be editing config files to do these things. Check out

http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/wiki ... rver_Setup

and

filezilla-project.org

and let me know if you want to talk more.