Intranet
First thing after mini1 server install on local network, verify a video chat from pb3 in "the hole" to imac24 in the living room works with zero configuration, zero setup.
I believe video chat works for up to five simultaneous connections, so very handy for impromptu video conferencing.
Plug it in, turn it on, video chat works to all camera equipped macs running Leopard or Snow Leopard on the network. NO SETUP REQUIRED!
The sole option on mini1 server regarding ichat is whether or not to log chats and where to store the logs.
Start Collaborating.
A wiki is a handy collaboration tool that requires three steps to setup on Snow Leopard Server.
- Verify DNS
- Add Users
- Create Wiki
Screen sharing, VNC, Remote Desktop Viewer
With the references to screen sharing, users coming from other operating systems may want to know where to get the best screen sharing application for Mac's.
Bring "The Cloud" Down to Earth
First quarter 2010, one in six cell phones sold was a smart phone. The percentage is trending upward.
Zero config two way iChat movie
More Zero Config Goodness
First thing after installing the mini server on the local network, started ichat on both locally networked macs to see if really did have zero config video conferencing on the local network. It worked, flawlessly and effortlessly - almost. In iChat main menu open Window->bonjour list to see whom else is locally available. Not effortless, two clicks of difficulty.
Making a Movie was a little More Difficult
A lot of software, setup and pre and post production to do this.
- Launch quicktime 10, included with every copy of Snow Leopard.
- File->New screen recording..
- Capture the pb3 screen, the inset computer in the iChat session
- Walk downstairs to the imac in the living room and adjust the panel.
- Walk back up
- Stop screen recording which saves the video.
- With the video open in quicktime, select File->Save for web..
- Upload the file to the web.
In this screen capture movie, the Inset screen is too dark to see me leave "the hole", at least on my lcd display.
Watch the big screen, the imac with which I am "chatting" as I go downstairs to the living room, adjust the imac24, and leave.
Finally, back to "the hole", the movement kind of shows up in the inset screen at the end of the video.
There is Another Way?
I don't even want to know how much software, hardware, installation geekery and licensing keys are required to achieve this now simple feat using other operating systems.