Streaming Media - December 2007/January 2008 - (Page 22) Let’s Work Together Combining streaming, videoconferencing, instant messaging, and desktop or application sharing, collaborative computing comes of age by Tim Siglin o you’ve just arrived in San Francisco and picked up your rental car; you’re headed for a meeting somewhere in Silicon Valley. You get on the 101 heading south when it happens: You receive a “tech support” call from your father, asking about a problem he’s having printing or sending pictures of your children to your sister. So here you are, dodging traffic, trying to decide whether to take the Lawrence Expressway or El Camino Real, while at the same time asking your dad to give you details about what the onscreen error message says. It’s enough to drive you to distraction. This article won’t help you with intrafamily relationships, nor will it offer options on how to drive and use your computer at the same time, but it will provide an overview of a set of tools equally as helpful for training, troubleshooting, sales, and family computing issues. Straddling the intersection of several technologies (including instant messaging, streaming, videoconferencing, application sharing, and presentation software), collaborative computing tools are an emerging— and essential—part of your computing toolbox. The tools are split into several key areas: 1) desktop presentation tools, 2) desktop application tools, 3) groupware, and 4) enhanced video collaboration tools, including rich media recording. The second part of this article will cover these areas, but in the first half, let’s explore where this all began. s 22 STREAMING MEDIA December 2007/January 2008
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