What's the easiest way to remotely control my VB.net program?

OK, Suppose I want make a VB.net program that displays the number ';1'; in a textbox when a button is pressed... I can easily make that program, but what if I want it to, on my remote command, to display the number ';2'; instead when the button is pressed?





Is it possible to write code that reads gmail messages? I know that gmail is pretty open about it's SMTP ports and stuff...





If it is, it might be possible to, make it check a g-mail account every 10 seconds (timer), and if there is a new message in that account with the subject ';now';, then display the number ';2'; in the textbox instead when the button is pressed... Would that be the easiest way?





If that's not the easiest way to remotely control a program, what is?





If you didn't get my example, imagine a VB.net desktop app with a single blue button, I want the button's colour to change on my remote command from another computer...What's the easiest way to remotely control my VB.net program?
It would probably be easier to poll some file hosted anywhere on the net. All you need is a place to host a text file.


It's easier to read from a web server than a mail server.


If you do go the email route, POP3 is the protocol you want. SMTP is for sending email, not receiving.What's the easiest way to remotely control my VB.net program?
Have the program listen on a port. If a particular message comes in, do whatever it does for that message. (If the message is ';2';, display 2.)





On the control computer, have the computer connect to the listening computer, on the port it's listening on, and send it a message.





You can look for simple chat programs written in VB.Net as an example. (I use that in VB6 to send a message to a computer inside a network, from a computer outside the network, to check for something in the network, then signal back yes or no.)