[Macworld]

Post your comments for What's new in Lion: AirDrop and screen sharing here

[mgw]

AirDrop doesn't sound so new. In fact, it sounds alot like a product from a company called Beagle Bros, called Flash. We used Flash to transfer files from Mac to Mac on old AppleTalk networks back in the 90's. Better than sneakernet, cheaper than Appleshare or Microsoft Mail.

[Wiggin]

How compatible is screen sharing between Lion and Snow Leopard? We have several Macs, some of which can not be upgrade to Lion. For example, one option for continuing to use PPC apps is to have them running on a pre-Lion Mac and then accessing them from your Lion Mac via screen sharing. Or, can I upgrade the mini running my home theater to Lion and still administer it from a pre-Lion Mac via screen sharing?

And since it wasn't mentioned in the article, I assume Mac screen sharing still doesn't support audio? That's actually a big shortcoming in my opinion. The UI audio feedback is part of the overall usability and experience.

This post has been edited by Wiggin: 21 July 2011 - 04:37 AM

[hayesk]

mgw, on 21 July 2011 - 04:13 AM, said:

AirDrop doesn't sound so new. In fact, it sounds alot like a product from a company called Beagle Bros, called Flash. We used Flash to transfer files from Mac to Mac on old AppleTalk networks back in the 90's. Better than sneakernet, cheaper than Appleshare or Microsoft Mail.

Flash required you to be on the same AppleTalk network. and was rendered almost useless by personal file sharing in System 7.

With Airdrop, you can meet someone at a cafe or anywhere, and you both don't need to be on the same network. It's auto-sensing peer-to-peer.

This post has been edited by hayesk: 21 July 2011 - 04:59 AM

[henryhbk]

Right now I can share my lion screen with non-lion macs, and have no problem viewing snow-leopard macs from my lion machine.

[jd2157]

henryhbk, on 21 July 2011 - 04:59 AM, said:

Right now I can share my lion screen with non-lion macs, and have no problem viewing snow-leopard macs from my lion machine.

Are you able to share over the Internet or are the Macs on the same local network as you are?

[Batsabode44]

screen sharing does not work now on my mbp and mac mini, I changed nothing but it does not work anymore very frustrated

[wingsy]

Screen Sharing: Now all Apple needs to do is to allow a 2nd monitor and 2nd keyboard/mouse to activate screen sharing from an account on the Mac (that's not being used). Presto - 2 people working on the same Mac at the same time, and all you'd need is a 2nd monitor & keyboard. Think about that. But Apple won't do it since it would cut into Mac sales, but maybe they could sell the app that allows this and make up for lost revenue. I'd buy it.

[mretondo]

I was really looking forward to AirDrop but from the article, Apple really implemented a half bake solution. What's in AirDrop is great but what missing in unbelievable.

Currently we use a utility at home called DropCopy to send files to different Macs on the local network. It's simple, you just drag a file over its icon and a list of Macs show up and you drop it on the Mac you want. The file is then transferred to that Macs Downloads folder.

My iMac doesn’t and will not have Airport turned on. It’s connected to my router which is wireless and Apple should know this. So how can I send a file from it to my sons MacBook like I can now with DropCopy? AirDrop should've been called DropCopy and been a combination of AirDrop and DropCopy.
As a user I want to see all the Macs around me and I don't care how there connected, that's OS crap that Apple is supposed to hide from me. I don’t care if I’m connected by air or wire, just show me the surrounding Macs. Does Apple really think my wife or 8 year old son is going to understand that they can't see the office iMac under AirDrop because this thing called AirPort in the iMac is turned off? What the #%^#&# Apple.

[Wiggin]

wingsy, on 21 July 2011 - 06:59 AM, said:

Screen Sharing: Now all Apple needs to do is to allow a 2nd monitor and 2nd keyboard/mouse to activate screen sharing from an account on the Mac (that's not being used). Presto - 2 people working on the same Mac at the same time, and all you'd need is a 2nd monitor & keyboard. Think about that. But Apple won't do it since it would cut into Mac sales, but maybe they could sell the app that allows this and make up for lost revenue. I'd buy it.

Hm...I believe I recently read somewhere that code was discovered in the iOS 5 beta that added keyboard/mouse support to AppleTV. Perhaps they will add a screen sharing client app to AppleTV that would allow you to use it as a terminal to run apps on your Mac elsewhere on your network. Not just to be able turn your living room TV into a Mac, but you could have a $99 AppleTV on each TV in the house (kitchen, kids room, etc) and have everyone sharing the same iMac in the den, using the TVs you already have as monitors.

You don't have to run around installing each app on everyone's computer, you don't have to set up and manager use accounts on every computer, easy data sharing via the Shared user folder. And imagine the parental controls...if you ground your kid and send them to their room, simply disable their screen sharing access and they can't play on the computer during their punishment!

Short of that, you could probably pick up a used C2D Mac mini for not too much money and use that as the screen sharing client.

This post has been edited by Wiggin: 21 July 2011 - 08:24 AM

[ChristianJ.Sweattszsp]

I do not seem to have the AirDrop option at all in my Finder window... Does this have to be enabled?

[Chris Breen]

ChristianJ.Sweattszsp, on 21 July 2011 - 08:51 AM, said:

I do not seem to have the AirDrop option at all in my Finder window... Does this have to be enabled?

Anything in here help?

[ChrisCaines1j7]

mretondo, on 21 July 2011 - 08:13 AM, said:

I was really looking forward to AirDrop but from the article, Apple really implemented a half bake solution. What's in AirDrop is great but what missing in unbelievable.

Currently we use a utility at home called DropCopy to send files to different Macs on the local network. It's simple, you just drag a file over its icon and a list of Macs show up and you drop it on the Mac you want. The file is then transferred to that Macs Downloads folder.

My iMac doesn’t and will not have Airport turned on. It’s connected to my router which is wireless and Apple should know this. So how can I send a file from it to my sons MacBook like I can now with DropCopy? AirDrop should've been called DropCopy and been a combination of AirDrop and DropCopy.
As a user I want to see all the Macs around me and I don't care how there connected, that's OS crap that Apple is supposed to hide from me. I don’t care if I’m connected by air or wire, just show me the surrounding Macs. Does Apple really think my wife or 8 year old son is going to understand that they can't see the office iMac under AirDrop because this thing called AirPort in the iMac is turned off? What the #%^#&# Apple.

It works on ethernet as well.
It doesn't work on older models like my 24" iMac.

[buckskinstudios]

There is no "Air Drop" capability in my OSX Lion installation. I assume you're referring to the server version of Lion. If not, is there a location to download it. I even tried the App Store, and there's nothing under the name "Air Drop".