Changes, coming up!

March 20th, 2002

As The Mac Address continues its evolution from what it was to what it will become there is one constant factor. You! That’s right, our site is all about what you, the reader, wants to hear.

If you have not noticed yet, we do not run advertisements and popups, and have no wish to for the time being. What we want to do however is to keep you coming back for more news, stories, columns and editorials that make you laugh, think and maybe even make you a little bit angry at times. But overall we want you to come back and contribute to what we hope will be an online community of the first rank…

How do we plan on doing this? Well that is a tough one. First of all, in order to be a community there has to be a place for its members to discuss the recent articles and information posted to the site. Right now we have our talkback section that allows you to do just that. So far you have not been too talkative, but we know you are out there, we can hear your mouse clicking. ;o)

We also have plans to implement other software in the not too distant future the will give you more options to have your voice heard, so be on the lookout for that. However for now we have only one request for you. Keep coming back, keep reading and most of all, let us know what you would like to see. Either e-mail us or talkback at the bottom of any of our stories. If you liked one and would like to see more on that topic, let us know. If you did not like one and would appreciate never being exposed to it again, also let us know. If there is something you would like an article on or coverage of, tell us! There is no guarantee we will be able to do all that you want, but we will certainly try to offer what the majority of our readers are looking for, along with what interests us too!

We would like to think that we are doing well and that you are enjoying the site, but the only way for us to know for sure is if you let us know. So let’s hear those comments! Speak up! Be heard! Stake your claim in The Mac Address today!

NoahJ

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Apple Remote Desktop

March 19th, 2002

More of a brief once over than an actual review – but I thought that I’d throw together my first impression of Apple’s new utility/application ‘Remote Desktop’.

Similar in functionality to Timbuktu and a variety of applications using the VNC format, Apple’s ‘Remote Desktop’ allows the user to take control of another Mac from the desktop perspective – being that you are actually given control over the keyboard, mouse and screen of another machine. This can prove incredibly helpful for the uses, such as managing a server or correcting/troubleshooting problems and even accessing and transferring files to and from a remote system.

Apple Remote Desktop [ARD] installs on a ‘client’ system as a ‘Preference Pane’ and is accessed via the ‘System Preferences’ panel – it is here that the client machine is configured and where it is determined just how much control the remote user will be given over the client machine.

Once the client is configured the next task is to install and configure the application on the ‘Administrator machine’. Unlike the client, installation on the Admin Machine places an application in the (no surprises here) ‘Applications’ folder!

When first launched the application asks the user to set up a ‘list’ of remote machines. On a local network these computers can be ‘scanned’ for and placed in the main list automatically. Adding a computer to this list however requires the Administrator name and password for that system – so there is little chance of an unwanted party taking control of your client system. (Sorry for the lack of screenshot!)

This process really is quite simple and unlike the installation of Timbuktu [opinion] ARD doesn’t seem to be as intrusive [/opinion].

At this point gaining control of a client machine is about as hard as blinking – the toolbar buttons are self explanatory, so, within a click or two, you can be messaging the user of the client machine, transferring files or have taken control the client machine – just as though you were sitting in front of it.

Screen redraw, which was/is tediously slow under applications like the VNC programs I mentioned earlier, is more than acceptable on a 10/100 network. And while it feels even faster than Timbuktu it is limited by the fact that you can only control other Macs with ARD, while Timbuktu and the VNC apps allow cross platform control.
That said, ARD is a slender application that does not take up much in the way of hard drive space on either the client or Admin systems and is a superior Mac application to the other options available – It is worth noting that VNC clients/servers can be downloaded for free from various places around the net – your best bet is versiontracker for both the PC and Mac clients and servers.


Apple’s Remote desktop retails for around $299us ($579.00au) for the 10 client addition.

Did I mention that VNC is free??

~If I can wangle (yes – I said wangle) some more time with ARD I will attempt to produce a more thorough review~

Links:
Apple Remote Desktop

Elroy

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