Ask Slashdot: Options For FOSS Remote Support Software? 247
Albanach writes "I'm sure I'm not alone in being asked to help friends and family with computer issues. These folk typically run Windows (everything from XP onward) or OS X (typically 10.4 onward). Naturally, desktop sharing is often much easier than trying to talk the other end through various steps. I've found free sites like join.me but they don't work with OS X 10.4, neither does the Chrome plugin. I'd also prefer not to compromise security by using a third party in the middle of the connection. Is there a good, free solution I can run on my linux box that supports old and new clients that run Windows, OS X and possibly linux? I'd love it if the users could simply bring their systems up to date, but that doesn't solve the third party issue and it's not easy when it requires a non-trivial RAM upgrade on a Mac Mini."
Re:You've really never heard of VNC? (Score:5, Insightful)
No offense intended, but I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would be asking the submitter for computer advice.
Seriously.
cheers,
Re:Or, ssh? (Score:5, Insightful)
So, the answer is both.
Re:teamviewer (Score:5, Insightful)
the guy asking help told this is a downside.
The guy asking for help hasn't spent 4 hrs walking grandma through downloading and configuring VNC over the phone so that he can get through the firewall to actually help her.
TeamViewer is a good solution
Doesn't exist (Score:4, Insightful)
What you're looking for doesn't exist. VNC is great, but without the middleman you're never going to have ease-of-use for the people you're trying to help... they're going to give up trying to get port-forwards set up on their router long before you actually get in to help them.
Logmein / Teamviewer / etc is what is needed, and just plain works. If you have to choose one, it should be Teamviewer... can run client and support on all three specified platforms, and the QuickSupport option on Windows is a godsend - nothing like telling a client / grandma / whoever to simply download and run a small executable to let you in and help them.
Re:Or, ssh? (Score:4, Insightful)
nonsense, no one is going to intercept your VNC stream during the time you are helping your relatives. get real, no one at your ISP is snooping traffice from home looking for a VNC session to tamper with. have your relatives turn off the server when done. you are more likely to get struck by lightening.
or entertain us by your laughingly improbable method by which you will intercept someone's VNC packets.
Re:Or, ssh? (Score:5, Insightful)
The point being, the folks who need the help can't be relied upon to start/stop a VNC server, or carry out any other task
that isn't part of their normal routine. And leaving a VNC server running, with circa-1985 eight-character password, on a standard port,
is a security risk.
Re:Simple solution (Score:2, Insightful)
That has to be one of the stupidest remote support solutions I've ever heard, when you could do a better job just using Skype's free desktop sharing function in a video conference if for some reason TeamViewer scares you off.
Re:You've really never heard of VNC? (Score:3, Insightful)
Then you need to have put that information into the original request instead of expecting us to read your mind.
Re:Or, ssh? (Score:3, Insightful)
Parent is over-rated. Exactly how is VNC "notoriously insecure"? Because it is not encrypted? Do you really think someone is going to intercept the screen drawing compressed bitmap traffic during some ad-hoc session?
This is exactly the thing I really hate to see up here. People doling out advice when they clearly have absolutely no clue. Some belief that "if it's for 30 seconds it's too fast for them to react". Packet monitoring is done by computers. It is done any time. It is done automatically. The network guys on your network have the right to do it "for network maintenance reasons". The professional ones a) wouldn't want to see and b) earn too much to risk it. Unfortunately they have all been outsourced to the lowest paid guy in India for whom the risk of being caught is nill and the benefit of selling your bank details; or even just enough information to make a "this is Microsoft and we know you have a virus" call is huge.
And what exactly will they get?
They want exactly only one thing. Your VNC password. They will then use that next time to start an automated session which does a small install just before you log in. After that you will never see them use your VNC ever again. Please hand in your computer operating license. None of this will involve a single person.