How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part VI – Windows Meeting Space

Posted on March 22, 2007 at 8:20 am

Make sure to read other posts from the Windows Vista Cool Features series!

How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part I – Restart Manager API
How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part II – You can run Vista in a Virtual PC on the same computer for free!
How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part III – Windows DreamScene
How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part IV – The new "Sleep" power state
How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part V – Windows Anytime Upgrade
How Windows Vista Works – Windows Vista Cool New Features & API’s – Part VI – Windows Meeting Space

Here’s a feature that I’m looking forward to using in Windows Vista: it’s called Windows Meeting Space and it’s basically going to allow Windows Vista computers that are close by to connect to one another and share desktops. It’s like how Bluetooth devices connect to each other when they are in close range and can share information, pretty much the same thing with Meeting Space.

So now if you’re at a meeting or in a coffee shop with someone else who has Vista, instead of using your trusty USB stick, you can now choose to connect up both the computers together (without needing any wireless router or any type of router or crossover cables!) and share your files directly! That’s pretty nice!!!

But what I’m really looking forward to is the ability to share the desktop with others and not have to do a single thing! Here at my office, whenever we have code reviews, we have to connect up the projector and turn off the lights, etc. And if the projector is being used by someone else, then we have to all look at one computer over each other’s shoulders and it’s a royal pain in the butt. Now we’ll be able to bring all of our computers into one room, sit and look at the same exact thing, but each on our own with no projector, wires or anything else!!!

Right now you can only collaborate with up to 9 people, but that’s a lot of people so hopefully it shouldn’t cause a problem for most people. There is a People Near Me feature where Vista will do a search to see who on the network supports this feature and you can click on their names to invite them to join the session.

Eventually, once most computers have IPv6 running and new hardware supports it globally, you will be able to invite users from over the Internet by sending an email. But again, this will only work with IPv6 computers and hardware that supports IPv6 traffic.

Check out the features and give it a try!

» Filed Under Windows Vista