If you are using Linux as your development environment and completely doing remote development and require some GUI, then you have to use lightweight window managers. Window managers with speed, low memory footprint, low CPU cycles with decent functions are the keyfactors for selection of window manager.
FVWM : http://www.fvwm.org/
FVWM is the fastest, lightest and stable window manager available currently. This is designed to minimize memory consumption and provide a simple virtual desktop with basic graphics. FVWM is best suited for virtual desktops over network.
IceWM : http://www.icewm.org/
IceWM is fast, lightweight window manager. It is not a full-fledged desktop environment like KDE, GNOME, CDE or XFce. This consumes minimal memory footprint and less cpu cycles. The IceWM interface looks a lot like a simple Windows default desktop and it supports themes too. Being fairly minimalistic, it can be used simply as a environment to manage the dozens of terminal windows like xterm. IceWM is flexible and simple to customize.