- Virtually Any Platform: VNC and KVM
- Getting Close on the Host
- Terminal Velocity
- Two Free Options with Windows XP
Two Free Options with Windows XP
With every version of Windows, old ways of doing things fall out of fashion. For example, in previous versions of Windows, you could share applications through NetMeeting's Remote Desktop Sharing. NetMeeting isn't easy to find in Windows XP (it's still available by typing "conf" at the Run... command). However, Microsoft's newest operating systems include two new tools for desktop sharing. Geared toward the enterprise, Remote Desktop comes only with Windows XP Professional (not Home) and is essentially a new version of Terminal Services that uses a new version of RDP (5.1). This new version supports 24-bit color, better performance, and redirection of such local PC features as audio (but curiously not MIDI), smart cards, COM ports, local network printers, and disk drives.
In contrast to Remote Desktop, which offers a full range of remote control options, Remote Assistance is tuned for the common task of helping the lost user. Users can activate the feature by clicking an invitation included in an email or instant message. Remote Assistance requires that both users be running Windows XP, although either can be the Home version. Remote Assistance uses Session Interaction Protocol, a lightweight protocol that is designed to make communication as easy as HTML.
Product Information
Product |
Company |
Server Platforms |
Client Platforms |
Altiris |
Requires Atiris eXpress Notification Server on Windows NT or Windows 2000 |
Windows 95 or later |
|
Apple |
Mac OS X |
Mac OS X |
|
Avocent |
Windows |
Any |
|
LapLink |
Windows 95 or later |
Windows 95 or later |
|
Citrix |
Windows NT/2000/XP, Unix |
DOS, Windows, Unix, Java |
|
Microsoft |
Windows 95 or later |
Windows 95 or later |
|
Symantec |
Windows 95 or later |
Windows 95 or later |
|
Microsoft |
Windows XP |
Windows XP |
|
Microsoft |
Windows XP Professional |
Windows 95 or later |
|
Power On Software |
Mac OS 7.0 to 9.1 |
Mac OS 7.0 to 9.1 |
|
Microsoft |
Windows 2000 |
Windows 3.11 or later. Other platforms supported through third parties. |
|
Netopia |
Mac OS 9 or later, Windows 95 or later |
Mac OS 9 or later, Windows 95 or later |
|
AT&T Laboratories Cambridge |
Linux, Solaris, Windows, Mac OS (pre-X), Windows CE 2.x |
Linux, Solaris, Windows, Mac OS (pre-X), Windows CE 2.x |