Press releases

Two New eBooks on Screen Sharing in Leopard from TidBITS: Leopard users can now identify the right kind of screen sharing for their needs

Press release: June 18, 2008

Ithaca, NY—Mac OS X Leopard has lots of new features, including built-in screen sharing for providing remote tech support, managing remote servers, and collaborating with colleagues. With screen sharing, Leopard users can control the mouse and keyboard of one computer while sitting at another computer across the room or on the other side of the world. Leopard brings screen sharing to normal Mac users, but adds complexity by providing so many screen sharing approaches, some of which don't work as seamlessly as they should. In a pair of new Take Control ebooks, networking expert Glenn Fleishman covers all the connection methods, helps readers set up their software and routers, and explains how to get the most out of Leopard's hidden Screen Sharing application. Each title costs $10, or they can be purchased together for $15 at TakeControlBooks.com.

Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard

In the 88-page Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard, Fleishman helps readers determine which form of screen sharing to use: iChat, Bonjour, direct to IP address or hostname, Back to My Mac, or a third-party option. He then explains how to set up and work with each option, and how to access more features in the hidden Screen Sharing application. The book also covers how to share screens with people who are running older versions of Mac OS X or Windows, and it includes troubleshooting information and assistance with configuring routers for screen sharing.

Questions answered in the ebook include:

  • What can I do with screen sharing, anyway?
  • What's the best way to set up an ad-hoc screen-sharing session with a buddy?
  • What's the best way to use screen sharing to do remote tech support for my mother?
  • How can I copy text from one computer to another while screen sharing?


Take Control of Back to My Mac In the 100-page Take Control of Back to My Mac, Fleishman changes gears to focus on the Back to My Mac service also introduced in Leopard. With Back to My Mac, you can connect from one of your Macs to another for file and screen sharing, making it possible, for instance, to download a forgotten document or to control a home computer from a laptop while on a trip. In this book, readers will find essential details on configuring routers to work with Back to My Mac, learn about the security implications of using Back to My Mac, and discover handy features in the hidden Screen Sharing application.

Questions answered in the ebook include:

  • What smoke and mirrors is Apple using to make a Back to My Mac connection work?
  • Should I be concerned about securing my Back to My Mac connection?
  • Help! I'm double-NATted, and it's really bugging me! What should I do?
  • How do I erase all traces of my Back to My Mac info from a public computer?


Glenn Fleishman is editor of the daily Web log Wi-Fi Networking News, a contributing editor for TidBITS, the Practical Mac columnist for The Seattle Times, and a regular contributor to The Economist, Macworld, Popular Science, and The New York Times. He lives in Seattle with his wife Lynn, sons Ben and Rex, two iPhones, and a dozen Macs of various vintages. He has a daily weblog at http://glennf.com/blog and is the coauthor of Real World Adobe GoLive 6 by Peachpit Press.

Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard

Take Control of Screen Sharing in Leopard
PDF format, 88 pages, free sample available
PDF Price: $10.00 USD
ISBN: 9781933671475


Take Control of Back to My Mac

Take Control of Back to My Mac
PDF format, 100 pages, free sample available
PDF Price: $10.00 USD
ISBN: 9781933671468



For review copies or more information please email takecontrolpr@oreilly.com.

About TidBITS
 The Take Control series is published by TidBITS Publishing Inc. TidBITS co-founders Adam and Tonya Engst have been publishing highly regarded news and editorial since 1990 when they created the online newsletter TidBITS, which covers Macintosh- and Internet-related topics. The Take Control series has helped many thousands of readers with high-quality, timely, real-world, cost-effective documentation since 2003.

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