LIRC is software that enables the decoding and transmission of infrared signals from various remote controls, although not all models are supported.
In the past, LIRC focused on home-brew hardware connected to the serial or parallel port, but now it supports a wide range of devices. You can find a list of current supported devices and the status of the according drivers on the left.
The most important part of LIRC is the lircd daemon, which decodes IR signals received by the device drivers and provides the information on a socket. This project can also accept commands for IR signals to be sent if your hardware supports this. The second daemon program, lircmd, will connect to lircd and translate the decoded IR signals to mouse movements.
With LIRC, you can configure X to use your remote control as an input device. The user space applications make it easy to control your computer with your remote control. You can send X events to applications, start programs and much more on just one button press.
The possible applications are endless, from using your remote control as an infra-red mouse to controlling your TV tuner card, CD-ROM, or even shutting down your computer. And, if you're into music, you'll be pleased to know that LIRC also supports MP3 players.
Overall, LIRC is a powerful and versatile tool that can help you make the most of your remote control.
Version 0.8.6: N/A