[MacTUG] Apple Screen Sharing App Makes its Debut in Leopard

[Glenn Anderson]

Apple Screen Sharing App Makes its Debut in Leopard

Submitted by Cleve Nettles on Mon, 08/13/2007 - 11:58.


One of the lesser discussed (and somewhat hidden) new applications  
coming up in Leopard is the Apple Screen Sharing Application. The  
application, packaged free with all Leopard Client disks (as of the  
WWDC '07 version) is much like Apple Remote Desktop - but without 95%  
of the administration features. It will likely cannibalize a small  
minority of Apple Remote Desktop sales and will fit somewhere between  
ARD and a VNC client in terms of features.
The application itself is not available by opening the Applications  
or Applications > Utilities folder (Can be opened manually by opening  
the terminal and going to /System/Library/Core Services/Screen  
Sharing.app). It must be invoked by browsing the network and then  
selecting one of the visible computers on the network. The computer  
to be controlled will, of course have to be set up for screen sharing  
in the System Preferences > Sharing settings.
Read on for more plus screenshots...

To the right you can see how in Leopard, when viewing the network,  
you are given the option to share screens.


After choosing to share screens, you are given the option to ask  
permission or log in as a registered user.


You can change the quality and resolution of the screens from the  
Views menu.


The preferences are pretty light-weight if you are used to Apple  
Remote Desktop but the ability to encrypt data flow across the web is  
quite nice.


You are given the window to transfer clipboards back and forth but  
not much else comes over from ARD 3.1


All in all, it is a great addition to the MacOS and allows people  
other than administrators access to remote macs who would otherwise  
be forced to use a VNC client or Timbuktu. As some commenters pointed  
out, this can be called up from /System/Library/Core Services/Screen  
Sharing.app and in doing this you can point to any internal or  
external IP address - which means that yes, you can help your mom out  
over the net...one more (or less) reason to upgrade to Leopard.

Glenn Anderson
Client Services, IST
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, On
519-888-4567 x33327
anderson at uwaterloo.ca



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