Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#1

Post by dkhenry » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 4:57 PM UTC

Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support
plus.google.com

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#2

Post by alexhawdon » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:18 PM UTC

Apparently old news, but I didn't know about it and it looks pretty useful. Another point towards steering my parents towards a Chromebook. Though, almost ironically, the lack of Skype support (on the ARM-based ones, unsure about x86) is one of the negative points.

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#3

Post by codereflection » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:44 PM UTC

And Google continues killing off niche application vendors... WalMart of the Internet.

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#4

Post by kryten » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:51 PM UTC

Now the NSA can watch your screen!

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#5

Post by ISL » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:53 PM UTC

Can anyone comment on how a browser plugin gets access to the desktop? (even if hangouts doesn't do it, there's a remote desktop plugin)

I'm a curmudgeon, but it seems like it's like designing a washing machine attachment that serves as a home security system and pasta maker.

Are there OS or X11 permissions that can restrict userland apps from deviating far from their original use case?

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#6

Post by shmerl » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:55 PM UTC

When are they going to publish their protocol, or return support for XMPP federation? Users should avoid them until they do either of those.

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#7

Post by Ralz » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 5:59 PM UTC

Am I the only one who prefers regular gchat to google hangouts? It's super difficult to figure out who on my contact list is online or not. I also mistake old msgs as new ones because of the lack of time-stamps. Maybe I'm missing a check-box or something that could fix all this but I gave up and switched back to gchat almost immediately.

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#8

Post by Spearchucker » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 6:00 PM UTC

kryten wrote: post #4

Now the NSA can watch your screen!

That's valid. Remote desktop opens up some interesting attack vectors, whether used by the NSA or just some hacker with malicious intent. There's nothing I can see about security mitigations...

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#9

Post by intrazoo » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 6:01 PM UTC

codereflection wrote: post #3

And Google continues killing off niche application vendors... WalMart of the Internet.

I doubt this analogy is perfect. Location/upkeep/convenience are different in the software world, and one of the big problems with Walmart is that they underpay their workers. And whereas mass produced X and artisan X might be different, I don't see any advantage of artisan desktop sharing.

Maybe there is something to soaking up a market (RSS) then dropping it (though it seems the ball is being somewhat picked up there), But, maybe unlike walmart?, there is little reason to believe that was malicious. People (Kevin Rose, for example) were making fun of RSS being super dead in 2011. I am no expert, but I doubt it is a google plus play as much as a twitter defeat. Note: I personally love RSS, but if I was not a tech news junkie, it might be of little use to me.

Re: Google Hangouts adds remote desktop support

#10

Post by watterso » Wed, Jun 26, 2013, 6:01 PM UTC

This is great news! After instant-upload/auto-backup got my parents hooked on G+, now I can easily provide them with tech support! Solid user conversion practice imo.