RSSSymantec Issues New pcAnywhere Beta
By Nate Mook | Published January 17, 2002, 8:54 AM
Symantec Corp. is seeking beta testers to scrutinize its new XP-compatible update to pcAnywhere, the company's popular PC remote control software. Version 10.5.1 adds full support for Microsoft's new Fast User Switching, a feature notably missing from the current release. pcAnywhere will be able to remotely access a Windows XP machine even through a fast user switch, an ability Symantec says "that not even Microsoft's Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance can claim."
"We had to jump through some hoops to make it happen, so that's why we really want people to bang on the beta to help us find any remaining problems," Symantec's Alan Feldman told BetaNews.
pcAnywhere 10.5.1 also sports the XP look and feel, as well as several other enhancements. The beta will be available until February 12, and may be downloaded via FileForum. For information on known issues, review the 10.5.1 Beta release notes.
Has anybody used VNC with XP? It seems like it shouldn't have problems, and allows connections from anything with a java enabled browser. Not to knock pcAnywhere with the dial in features and such, but VNC has always done what I need it to do well.
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|It has worked fine for me so far, but I don't have a need for the fast user switching and so I have not tested it in that situation. (V 3.3.3r9)
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|Works great between win2k and winxp machines so far. No problems! VNC is a really great tool..
Paul
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|Is there anyone using XP Pro that would really opt to use PcAnywhere over Remote Desktop? It's so much cleaner and *FASTER* and works seamlessly. :D
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|Well one of the big drawbacks to Remote Desktop, besides the fact that it's only XP to XP, is that you have to log out locally to use it. And you cant fast user switch while its running. This is an issue where Symantec comes out ahead. If you don't need these things and have only XP-to-XP connections, then obviously why pay money for something you get free? But there are still instances where pcAnywhere is quite necessary.
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|You are correct in saying that Remote Desktop logs the local user out, however to say that it is XP-to-XP only is simply incorrect. Using the terminal services client you can connect to an XP or 2000 box from ANY Windows computer, regardless of version. I routinely log into my home XP machine from work via a small executable (698kb) file that I have on my computer. And when I am using a company laptop on the road or am somewhere where I cannot install the Terminal Services Client and need to connect to my computer I simply load a web browser and connect to a special address on my webserver which loads the Terminal Services Connector and allows me to see my XP box (as well as my 2000 Server box) by simply typing the address in -- all via an Active-X control. One thing I really like is how I can listen to music that is located on my home computer -- if I am on a slower connection it automatically decreases the quality of the stream so it plays in real time (albeit sounding poorly) but if I am on a fast connection it sounds quite good, as well as in real-time. I will agree though that pcAnywhere has its uses and has a clear place in certain applications, I simply wanted to clear up the issues with Remote Desktop.
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|There are folks who have XP and need to connect to non-XP machines. PC Anywhere does so nicely.
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|Yeah, you are quite mistaken actually. It doesn't log the local user out. All the programs continue running, etc, it basically just "locks" the console until someone comes back and logs into it. The Remote Desktop client runs on any windows OS, from 95 to NT to XP. There is also an ActiveX applet so you can run it from a browser much like VNC does with java... yet it's still faster. You should use the product before you start making incorrect statements about it's operation. :)
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|Well for Windows 2000 Server, Terminal Server is there which is basically the same engine remote desktop is. Other than W2K Servers and XP, I guess PC Anywhere is an option, personally I've just used VNC in the past since it was free, albeit slow. Currently I don't have anything to connect to that is older OS than W2K Server or XP for desktops so I'm happy with the free *fast* solution MS has provided.
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|35 megs to me is INSANE!!!! This better be good, as far as I'm concerned I'm going to be testing the link on the first comment 300 k sounds a bit more like it, but I'll give this one a whirl to see what it does none the less, I liked other versions, so i'm assuming they will live up to their name.
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|I much prefer Remote Anything (http://www.twd-industries.com/) over PCAnywhere on my network... Not only is Remote Anything MUCH smaller (372kb once installed), it also takes up a lot less memory, is faster to use and work with, and is much more stable than PCAnywhere. PCAnywhere is just too big, bloated and slow, makes users pay for each major release while Remote Anything doesn't, and TWD Industries also fixes bugs and responds to customers quicker and in a better fashion, and releases semi-regular updates (they seem to release a lot in a few months, then take the rest of the year off, but they are still more regular and free for existing customers). The only thing PCAnywhere might have over Remote Anything is a few features which I wouldn't use anyway, and a better interface.
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|I like Dameware myself. I can install the serivce remotely which is a big plus. The only negative is there is no java client through the browser.
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|You might want to try RemotelyAnywhere 4 beta. (at RemotelyAnywhere.com) It allows remote installation, has a Java client, and does about a million other things too.
Marton
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|Even with out this feature it still sh!ts all over M$ Desktop Managment softare...Which is not stand alone to their OS.
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