In a 2006 InfoWorld column entitled Simple, single-purpose screen sharing I lamented the tendency of screen-sharing programs to pile on features that get in the way of doing the core screen-sharing function simply and well. Readers responded with quite a few suggestions. Yesterday I learned about a Microsoft product, SharedView, which belongs on that list. (Note: it’s currently a beta 2 release.)
For me, the ArsTechnica review of SharedView — which dings it for lacking the full feature set you find in products like WebEx or Live Meeting — completely misses the point. Simple, single-purpose screensharing is exactly what I want, and exactly what SharedView delivers.
November 29, 2007 at 11:03 am
For me the single purpose screen sharing is not always within our local network and/or firewall. While we currently use WebEx and have used Live Meeting in the past for shared demonstrations, presentations, and document editing/review, it still doesn’t solve the one-to-one support needs for my 80 year old mother. That’s why I use FogCreek Co-Pilot. My mother (who lives over 1,500 miles away) simply opens an e-mail the service creates and clicks on the link provided when I set up the session. I then have full control over her PC to fix things such as finding the pictures she “lost” when she uploaded them from her digital camera. The best thing about Co-Pilot is that it deals with the firewalls that Comcast has implemented by using Port 80. I can also buy the service for a single day which is all I usually need. It is a solution that works and works well.
November 29, 2007 at 11:31 am
“For me the single purpose screen sharing is not always within our local network and/or firewall.”
For me as well. And SharedView /does/ traverse firewalls, which is a key requirement.
December 10, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I’ve always been surprised Remote Assistance hasn’t taken off more