Apple posts Back to My Mac information
It looks like .Mac subscribers are going to get a little more out of Leopard than the rest of us. .Mac's Back to My Mac feature is new in Leopard, and is pretty neat. Basically, it allows you to connect to a remote Mac over the Internet and access files or log into the Mac remotely. I imagine this is being done with some sort of dynamic DNS (.Mac keeps track of your remote Mac's IP address and allows you to connect to it).
There is a video demoing the feature on its .Mac page, so go check it out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David said 2:52PM on 10-16-2007
Wow. That's actually a pretty sweet feature! Makes the price tag of .Mac seem a little more realistic to me!
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Slevin said 2:55PM on 10-16-2007
Sweet... too bad I don't use a Mac at work... stupid City departments
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jus10 said 2:55PM on 10-16-2007
Looks similar to hamachi/logmein which I already have ...
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russell said 3:04PM on 10-16-2007
Which is different than ssh or vnc + dyndns how?
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Chris Niles said 3:17PM on 10-16-2007
@ russell
It is different in that now average, every day computer users like my parents can use this to access their desktops from my MacBook when they come to visit. Or any number of other possibilities for non-tech savvy consumers.
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Jack Beckman said 3:20PM on 10-16-2007
"Which is different than ssh or vnc + dyndns how?"
Anyone can use it without knowing how to do all that.
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Ryan said 3:17PM on 10-16-2007
@russell
You don't have to setup, maintain, or learn it yourself.
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sam said 3:21PM on 10-16-2007
Apple should tout this as an easy way to keep track of your laptop if it gets stolen.
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J.G. said 3:22PM on 10-16-2007
"Which is different than ssh or vnc + dyndns how?"
Because it's easy to use.
.Mac has always had a great offering, but it keeps getting better and better. For the cost of one months Cable TV and Internet access, I get a years worth of great online apps.
To the .Mac team, keep up the good work. We appreciate it.
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Modano said 3:41PM on 10-16-2007
@russell: Most average users don't know how to ssh or use vnc + dyndns.
2 questions on this: Will it seamlessly (automatically) work through a router? Is there a way to use a PC to connect?
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OmniGeno said 3:50PM on 10-16-2007
Is this different from screen sharing?
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punkassjim said 4:05PM on 10-16-2007
@russell
I've never gotten VNC to work as smoothly as Timbuktu Pro. I'm hoping Back to my Mac works anywhere near as flawlessly.
As a .Mac subscriber and iPhone user, I'm hoping hoping hoping that they tie that in somehow. Apple really needs to take more advantage of that WiFi connection in the iPhone. Like, why in hell can't you sync calendars, contacts, etc, over the air? And a limited version of Back to my Mac for the iPhone would just blow all competition out of the water.
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Andrew said 4:08PM on 10-16-2007
I liked my .mac trial, per the imap mail -- but it didn't sync perfectly. If I made a bunch of changes on my iPhone or whatever, it wouldn't show on teh website (even if you refreshed) UNTIL you moved a message to a folder...
Anyway, that and .Mac didn't sync the ENTIRETY of my address book (including pics) online... I like the concept of it but:
1. It's got a ways to go
2. It should be FREE
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Thataboy said 4:47PM on 10-16-2007
Do we know if one can access files on an external hard drive attached to a home Mac? For example, I have all of my iTunes music files on an external hard drive... will they be inaccessible via Back to my Mac because they aren't physically in my Home folder?
Similarly, if I have an alias in my Home folder and it points to a file outside of the Home folder, will I be able to access it via Back to my Mac?
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MacBookOwner said 4:09PM on 10-16-2007
"Which is different than ssh or vnc + dyndns how?"
I guess you just have to learn to expect comments like this :p
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booobooo said 4:20PM on 10-16-2007
yes!!
APPLE!!!
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Ken said 4:28PM on 10-16-2007
Would be more useful if it allowed a remote connection using a PC (i.e. work PC to home Mac).
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just_a_guy said 4:30PM on 10-16-2007
didn't Steve announce this feature during the last confrence?
I seem to remember this feature..... and yet you guys are seeming to talk about it as if you didn't even know about this "new feature"!
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Midas360 said 5:00PM on 10-16-2007
You guys are going to pay $100 bucks a year for "Remote Desktop Anywhere?"
HA HA HA
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Just_a_guy said 5:04PM on 10-16-2007
this is different from remote desktop on this way: remote desktop allows you to take controll of another person's mac: this works by using encription to give your computer's ISP to you via .mac and then allowing you to use your other mac like an external drive. It allows you to search ANYTHING that your other computer can access.
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