Solution to the “Remote Desktop keeps popping to the foreground every five minutes when I leave it running and just minimize it” problem:

Before minimizing the Remote Desktop session, restore the window (double click on the trapezoid-shaped title) so it’s not in full-screen mode anymore. Then the session will politely stay minimized and not periodically pop up to ask for attention. I’ve left sessions minimized like this for days, and they still stay active.

I still think Remote Desktop is the best thing since sliced bread (and whatever else it was that I said is better-than or close-to sliced bread in greatness) and it’s nice that Microsoft has integrated it into Windows XP Pro. There’s still VNC, but that’s very slow by comparison, doesn’t support the notion of the multiple simultaneous user sessions (through the “fast user switching” capability that XP Pro has), and doesn’t have “easy to use” encryption built in. One can tunnel VNC over SSH, but that’s an extra connection step to make.