Will the Next Version of Windows Be Worth the Wait?

New York Times ^ | April 10, 2005 | Randall Stross

[HAL9000]

Should I pursue VNC more or maybe look at Apple's Remote Desktop; any suggestions?

I haven't found a universal solution yet. I use Apple Remote Desktop and OSXvnc for Mac servers, RealVNC for Linux and Windows servers, and Chicken of the VNC, VNCThing and ARD for Mac clients. I try various combinations until finding the best one for a particular server platform). Obviously, I'd recommend trying the free stuff first.

ARD has built-in VNC clients and servers, but they're not as good as some of the free implementations.

Running ARD's native Mac-to-Mac connection in black-and-white mode is the fastest way to run. I don't think VNC supports black-and-white connections yet. ARD is well worth the money if you have several remote Macs to support.

[D-fendr]

Thanks very much. I did a little more research after reading your reply.

I think I will dive in and try a flavor of PC client (perhaps TightVNC) to OSXvnc server and hope the speed is acceptable and the hassles are fewer - once I get past the installs and firewall configs.

Greatly appreciate your help.

[HAL9000]

I'm not familiar with TightVNC, but it should work. I forgot to mention that RealVNC has a client for Windows, so try that if TightVNC has problems. OSXvnc is probably better than the Panther/ARD VNC option, but I expect Tiger will change that.

Some of the problems I've seen with various VNC client/server combinations include firewall issues, slow connections, and just plain refusing to connect. Watch the log files in Console.app in the Utilities for error messages. Good luck.

[pageonetoo]

So, do you wake up and kiss your icon of Bill Gates every morning, and kiss him good night, as well.

You made a nice long post, full of bull feces...

The only reason ms did better was from gum't bizness requiring private bizness to submit on 5 1/4 in wordperfect...

The reason educators chose Mac was the result of a marketing decision by Apple. They demonstrated a simple-to-use mouse-driven appliance to them, and they bought it. Nobody needed to learn C> commands. My, then 3 yr old, daughter used my new Mac in 1984, with little direction from me...

And lastly, so what? I will continue to use my Macs... and my Apple stock has made me a over 700% in the past two years!

Longhorn will not make Windoze any better. It will just make the pc "network administrator" wonks earn their pay installing and debugging the crap!

Me, I'll just get my 15 yr old daughter to take care of our 7 computers, when we get the latest from the core...

[pageonetoo]

I almost bought a mac (mini mac $499) yesterday until the tech help at CompUSA told me that i could not hook it up to my KVM switch.

I don't even know what a KVM switch does...

What I do know, is that my Mac needs no drivers for most devices. They are intuitively found by the OS, and placed where they need to be.

I wouldn't let a $29 keyboard, and $10 mouse stop me from enjoying good technology. Besides, it will be a chance to try the integration yourself. Someone has already done it, I would bet... and if you do a search, can find a way!

If I were buying today, it would be a $1300 G5 iMac... or spend the extra to write DVD's and view a 20"! I have a G5 desktop, with a almost new 30" display. You gotta see it, to love it! I carry a 17" G4 PowerBook on the road...

[goldstategop]

Usually a monitor software glitch. Windows XP is rock-solid and doesn't suffer the dreaded "Blue Screen Of Death" attack in the event of a crash. It just reboots, does a hard drive check and boots back up to the desktop.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Sam Cree]

Windows 98 works just fine for me. When it no longer gets the job done, I'll probably need a new computer as well.

When I reach that point, I'm thinking strongly of switching to a Mac. Probably a laptop.

[jpsb]

A KVM switch let me access a several computers from a single keyboard and mouse. It's really nice if you have to switch back and forth between computers all the time, which I have to do. Develop/test on one. Deploy on another and Freep on a third.

I wound up getting a x86. Wanted the mac, and will get one some day, but I needed the box for work and didn't want to take a chance on the mac not being a good choice for java/web services development. I also read that the mini mac has a striped down version of OSX and I that is what did it for me. I would have needed a full blown Unix OS as fall back if KVM hardware did not work or was too costly.

[pageonetoo]

...didn't want to take a chance on the mac not being a good choice for java/web services development.

Mac is a great platform for your javascript, and for web development, particularly if you like forefox! ... IMO, your decision was lacking proper input!

The OS on the box is the same on my G5 desktop...

The mini is a G4, so why don't you look on eBay, or somewhere and buy a used one for a couple of hundred... then plug and play!

[jpsb]

I will, thanks for the input. Java not javascript! I have my pride ya know.

[pageonetoo]

Java not javascript!

Just showing my ignorance. I could not tell you the difference.

I was first exposed to computing in the 60's. I was a Navy FT (fire control technician...aiming guns, not extinguishing fires). We had a Mk 1A analog computer.

After Navy, I was electronically interested, but too involved making money. I played with a Timex-Sinclair 64, and learned a little Basic. I graduated to a Commodore 64, and a 128 (64 was much better). I bought an Amiga, and when Mac was introduced, I waited... for 4 months.

I was convinced when I looked at IBM and AutoCad. I would have had to put my life on hold for a month of schooling on AutoCad (and that c> thing), but opted for a FatMac with a 5 megabyte Internal Hard Drive. I bought a 9-pin ImageWriter, which was replaced with a $4000 LaserWriter (1986).

I have had my share of Macs, but NO PC's. The closest, was using my brothers Windoze machine, on vacation at his place. I had trouble with the poor emulation they did, of the Mac environment.

I don't claim to know about computing. I just use the thing to do what I have to do...

Click the image to see part of the new "Tiger"... Gates toy does nothing like this guy!

[Loud Mime]

I agree with you. I love the XP program, as it fills all my needs in business and reliability. I'm running an amd 64 chip with a gig of ram and everything just purrs.

When I made the change from 98 VII to W2000 I noticed that the hard drive didn't work as much, but still didn't like how the OS worked with some software systems. Now, with XP Pro, I'm happy; and I don't game.

[jpsb]

Wow, looks good, there is difinately a mac in my future. thanks.

[LIConFem]

I use as little of MS's garbage as possible.

Red Hat bump! :o)

[TheStickman]

I concur. My problem with XP was figuring out I needed to upgrade my hardware in order to run the OS properly. My machine is primarily a DAW (digital audio workstation), running pro-sound apps for multi-tracking and mastering. We have 4 machines networked and running smoothly with XP SP2.

Now, if there were only the same quality pro-sound apps and gaming choices for linux I would certainly give it another look. However, I'm not gonna turn my Corvette into a VW bug just to be free from M$.

[BibChr]

Yep; all that and NO MORE "ILLEGAL OPERATION" CRASHES!

Dan

[Swordmaker]

I almost bought a mac (mini mac $499) yesterday until the tech help at CompUSA told me that i could not hook it up to my KVM switch.

Why not? Lots of people are doing it with no problems.