Video Conferencing for Unix? 20
LordDavon asks: "I have been trying to find a good video conferencing solution for Linux. The main issue is that my family and many friends are subjects under the Microsoft tyranny and use Microsoft NetMeeting. Although it is a nicely featured application (Whiteboard, VNC, File Transfer, etc...), I am failing to find a comparable application for Linux. Is there a single, low cost, multi-platform application that can compete?" While I'm not so sure about the existence of a whole suite of Open Source applications that can compete with NetMeeting, are there apps that are usable solely for video conferencing? We touched on this exact question two years ago, we also talked about shared whiteboards as well, although a bit more recently. Are any of you out there using Linux (or any Unix clone for that matter) in Video Conferencing? If so, how?
Compete with Netmeeting? (Score:3, Funny)
1) Make your program run as a device driver
2) Completely bring the system to its knees anytime someone launches the program
That's it!
At least, that's my experience with the steaming pile of crap Netmeeting.
GNOMEMeeting (Score:2, Informative)
Re:GNOMEMeeting (Score:2, Informative)
Re:GNOMEMeeting (Score:2, Informative)
When something doesn't work for somebody, there can be 2 reasons : the user is stupid or the software is bad. As I run it successfully, I think that you are stupid. Sorry, but your comment was stupid and I can say to everybody here that GnomeMeeting runs pretty good and has the most intuitive and clean UI I've never seen on Linux.
Thank you (Score:1)
I haven't tried this: (Score:4, Informative)
The Java client should run on Win, Posix (Linux?) and even Palm (no video I guess).
However, it does require a dedicated document server.
Projects like confman (java too) seems very slick, but is only for people having acces for Mbone (ip6?).
GnomeMeeting (http://www.gnomemeeting.org) is very slick too. It supports the H.323 protocol, so it should work with MS Netmeeting. However no chat, whiteboards etc, only video and voice. (those functions usually requires the T.120 protocol).
www.openh323.org (Score:3, Informative)
Besides, who really wants to see their boss/coworkers? Wouldn't it be better to get cracking on some manner of better looking avatars?
Re:www.openh323.org (Score:2, Interesting)
Anyhow, more on topic, the OpenH323 stuff is coming along, and is quite usuable in its current form. Not sure about the video support at the moment, but I'm sure a quick look at their website would help!
Re:www.openh323.org (Score:1)
I agree; what's the point anyways? (Score:2, Interesting)
Netmeeting works flawless (Score:2)
I actually use it for remote desktop control more often than video conferencing.
If you're at all interested in remote desktop control, I'd check out VNC. It is cross platform and it's probably the next best thing to netmeeting.
As far as video conferencing... Until there are more drivers for all the cheapie usb webcams out there, I don't think video conferencing will be a realistic possibility under linux.
Re:Netmeeting works flawless (Score:1)
LD
Re:h.323 alternatives? (Score:2)
If you set it up properly with a directory (LDAP) it can even handle inbound connection requests by asking who you want to talk to and then forwarding the connection request to that users workstation.
If you have a Checkpoint FW-1 firewall, it supports H.323 with NAT, on outbound connections only of course. Don't know about other FW software.
It may not be linux but.... (Score:2, Informative)
For Sun: (Score:2)
It uses "H.323, T.120 and T.127 standards for communicating multimedia and other data between conference participants"
From the FAQ, it looks like it should interoperate with Netmeeting etc if it talks the same language (H.323)
InPerson 2.0 on SGI's IRIX (on Indy) (Score:2)
At any rate, this is what I use for my conferencing. It beats the heck outta a windows box. Some folks hate IRIX, but at least it's POSIX complaint and can run gcc, etc (http://freeware.sgi.com). And InPerson is much cooler than Sun's conferecing app anyway.
Yes, there is. But may be tough to buy. (Score:2)
But there's no free T.120 client for Linux. T.120 is the whiteboarding and application sharing part of the protocol.
DataConnection [dataconnection.com] is the company that did the core work for both NetMeeting and Sun's SunForum, which is a feature-for-feature NetMeeting-alike for Solaris. Their generic name for the product is DC-Share.
Last year they ported the product to Linux, and also have a Java version--with, yes, app sharing--but they don't do direct sales.. just OEM and licensing deals. Contact them and see if anyone is selling a Linux client based on their software.