Sometimes you need access to a computer which is not nearby. Maybe it has that special software or hardware installed, maybe it has your unique files, maybe it’s your Mom’s computer. In any case, the computer you have at hand won’t do — you need to access that other one.
In such a case, you need remote desktop software. Like many people, I’m a Mac at home, and a PC at work. But, I can access my work PC using the Remote Desktop Client from our friends at Microsoft. It’s a Macintosh client for accessing a remote Windows box.
Using RDC (Remote Desktop Client), the screen of my Windows computer at work appears on my Macintosh. Using my Mac’s mouse and keyboard, I can do anything I could if I were sitting in front of that other machine. The newer verison of RDC is an easy to use application that integrates well with the Mac environment. It features an optional full screen mode, so you can use every pixel of your screen for the remote system.
It’s a lot like using a virtual machine, like Parallels. So much so, that this may be a solution for people who occasionally need to run Microsoft software, but mostly use a Macintosh. If you already have an account on a Windows machine somewhere that you can remote into, you can get your work done that way, instead of installing a virtual machine.
Apple offers a similar product, logically enough called Apple Remote Desktop. It performs the identical function, Mac-to-Mac. There are a couple of important differences, though:
- Microsoft Remote Desktop is free. Apple Remote Desktop is $299.
- Microsoft Remote Desktop is available cross-platform. Apple Remote Desktop is Mac-Only.
Microsoft ships the remote desktop server and client with every Windows install, and you can download the Mac client for free. Apple on the other hand, charges big bucks for the client, and it is only available for the Mac.
Apple, you’re pretty far behind the competition on this one. You’re gouging your fans here. Ouch.
-Jamie
