Citrix GoToMyPC mulls GoToMyMac
Published:31-May-2005
By BR staff writer
Citrix Systems' GoToMyPC remote PC access software division is mulling the launch of an Apple Macintosh version, which could enable users to access Macintosh computers remotely, even from non-Macintosh machines.
The company has for some time owned the rights to the domain name www.GoToMyMac.com, ComputerWire has learned.
GoToMyPC currently enables users to gain remote access to Windows PCs. It enables a user to access their remote PC as if they were sitting in front of it, including the ability to run applications hosted on the remote PC and transfer files between the remote PC and the client they happen to be sitting in front of. That client can already include not only Windows PCs but also most desktops that support a browser, including Macs and Linux desktops, PocketPC mobile clients and more.
But the remote computer - the host - must currently be a Windows PC, since Apple Mac or any other non-Windows hosts are unsupported. But in an interview with ComputerWire, GoToMyPC's product line manager Jason Randall confirmed that the company is working on a version that would support Mac hosts, and the functionality could find its way into the next major upgrade, version 6, expected some time next year.
The move would be a real plus for Mac users, particularly layout and design professionals, for instance. It would mean that they could access and use their remote Macintosh computers while on the move. Because graphics and other multimedia files are storage-intensive, high-end desktops and storage systems are often required for these tasks.
Using a Mac host-supported version of GoToMyPC would mean that graphics professionals would not need to travel with high-powered portable computers, but could instead access their work or home Macintoshes from pretty much any remote computer.
In conjunction with the possible Mac support, Randall said the company is working on support for 24-bit color. This would mean that colors would render correctly when being viewed from a remote computer, whereas today only 8-bit color is supported by GoToMyPC, so higher-color images on a remote machine do not render clearly.
Randall explained that the decision to support only 8-bit color had been taken to save on bandwidth and improve performance, but said that with improved networking and the prevalence of broadband, 24-bit color should now be feasible. Support for 24-bit color could be rolled out even before a GoToMyMac version, according to Randall.
