[cluhn]

I have iMacs at home (and, actually, one in my office). The firm uses PCs running Windows XP. I tend to leave the PC on my desk alone except when I absolutely need to use 2-3 of the PC-only programs on the PC. If I install Go to My PC or some other similar app on the PC and my iMacs, can I use the Mac just as though I were running the program on the Mac? What are the up-side/down-side and/or limitations/dangers of doing this?

[smax013]

 cluhn, on 24 February 2013 - 02:50 PM, said:

I have iMacs at home (and, actually, one in my office). The firm uses PCs running Windows XP. I tend to leave the PC on my desk alone except when I absolutely need to use 2-3 of the PC-only programs on the PC. If I install Go to My PC or some other similar app on the PC and my iMacs, can I use the Mac just as though I were running the program on the Mac? What are the up-side/down-side and/or limitations/dangers of doing this?

If you use a remote access program/system to remotely access your Windows PC from one of your Macs, then yes, it you can nominally run the program from your Mac. Now, this really means that you will remotely access Windows on your Mac through a web browser (if using Go to My PC). You will be able to sit at your Mac to do this, but it will still be using Windows. The Windows program will NOT appear/seem as if it is a Mac program...but rather will appear/seem as a Windows program running in Windows inside of a web browser. So, basically the same experience as sitting in front of the Windows PC doing it except you can be sitting in front of the Mac. And keep in mind that in order for this work, the Windows PC has to be turned on.

Your other overall option would be to install Parallels or Fusion on your Mac and run Windows inside of that "virtual" environment. The advantage of this situation is that in theory could get ride of the Windows PC altogether. And I know Parallels at least gives you the option to have that Windows program "seem" to be running like a Mac program (it is a bit of an illusion, but it might be enough). The big downside is that you need a Windows license.