Apple has released a preview version of its Rendezvous technology for Windows 2000 and XP. Rendezvous (also known as zero-configuration networking), enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services on IP networks. Regarding our yesterday’s “An Engineer’s Thoughts on Mac OS X Tiger” article, the author rewrote the article and the new version can now be found here.
Apple releases Rendezvous for Windows, Other Platforms
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
35 Comments
2004-07-01 1:30 am
2004-07-01 4:01 am
2004-07-01 5:00 pm
Anonymous
Rendezvous itself seems to be quite cool. I just noticed this (having been a Powerbook user for only 6 weeks). One of my colleagues has an iBook and we had to work at SUN Microsystems one day. They are of course firewalled so there was no way of connecting to our mail servers and he had to give me a small scriptfile.
Of course we could have set up SMB shares or started the FTP server built into Mac OS X, but there is this nice texteditor called SubthaEdit which has Rendezvous support.
All I had to do was fire up my editor, click on his name and store the text file which was then presented to me (you can work with multiple people on the same document in realtime). Quite hasslefree. I was impressed 
Of course that’s only 1 example of what it may be caple of, I don’t know too much about it either.
This is all fine and dandy, but I’m moving away from IE more and more, and I’m wondering if this will be usable with firefox and other [good] browsers.
i dont think you really understand what rendezvous is…
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/rendezvous/
…is all well and good for your newbie home LAN, but it’s not really a technology I see people relying upon. Might be good for network aware devices like webcams, and future appliances, but I find it more an annoyance on large networks…
Would be cool if things like iTunes Music Sharing supported chat, etc… For instance–you discovers somebody’s playlist that you really enjoy you might want to compliment them on it etc…
I’m just not a big fan of things that simplify to a degree that you don’t need to know anything to get it to work. (Yeah, I know we’re talking about Apple) Just think that you should know the basics…
>i dont think you really understand what rendezvous is…
“This preview release includes full link-local support,
allowing Windows machines to discover advertised HTTP and FTP
servers using Internet Explorer”
Are you sure you do??
Apple is developing more and more windows software? First iTuNeS and now this!? I sense a great disturbance in the force..
Yes, Rendezvous auto-discovery can be used by any application which works over a network. Not just web browsers. They have built specific hooks for IE (as you pointed out) but if you had continued reading, you would have noticed this: “also includes a printer setup wizard which allows Windows machines to print to Rendezvous networked printers, including USB shared printers connected to the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express Base Stations.” …and more specifically this: “With the included Rendezvous SDK, Windows and Java developers can begin the process of adding Rendezvous service discovery to their applications.”
from the article:
“This preview release includes full link-local support, allowing Windows machines to discover advertised HTTP and FTP servers using Internet Explorer.”
i understand that it incorporates ie, but there is more to it than just that blurb. that was my point.
MS could have added this if they wanted to. I applaud Apple for trying to make things work together. MS is the only vendor left that is still trying to make propriatary protocals and data formats.
The more Apple MAKES OS X work with Windows the better. After all these years Apple finally understands what to do. They should have done this during the 90’s!!!!!!!!!!
I’m just not a big fan of things that simplify to a degree that you don’t need to know anything to get it to work. (Yeah, I know we’re talking about Apple) Just think that you should know the basics…
You would rather have to go thru the hassle of configuring devices every time [just because you don’t like it “simplified”] ? How about newbie users that can’t configure things themselves?
Windows and networking should never be used in the same sentence. Rendezvous is one of my favorite parts of OSX and it should be nice for the Windows users to have this excellent technology.
By good friend here is already excited about the possibility of not having to reboot his machine or restart MS auto wireless service everytime connections drop in XP
Rendezvous is an extremely important technology. Imagine setting up a new network printer and just plugging it in to the network and not having to go to every terminal in your office to set it up. Instead they printer appears to every user on the subnet.
Imagine setting up and http server using rendezvous and instead of having to answer everyones question of where to go to get to the intranet they just click on the rendezvous bookmark list in their browser and see it and click it.(thats what we do here)
Rendezvous is so awesome of a technology, it saves time and allows applications to exist that would not have existed before. I have an application called Clipboard Sharing, and it uses rendezvous to find other users on my network to be able to grab the data from my clipboard, now sure you could do this by setting up IP addresses and connecting to somone, but thats just not efficient, no one would even do that just for the menial task of grabbing data from somones clipboard. But by useing it, its all there and free and setup for you, nothing to do, so it IS useable. The consumer wins and the developer gets a to sell an app out of it that normally no one would even touch.
Don’t knock it till you’ve had the least bit of time using it in applications. its amazing.
You would rather have to go thru the hassle of configuring devices every time [just because you don’t like it “simplified”] ? How about newbie users that can’t configure things themselves?
I said at the top of my post “[Rendezous]…is all well and good for your newbie home LAN, but it’s not really a technology I see people relying upon.”
I tend to believe that you should at least know the basics of any task you’re attempting. Why wouldn’t you? The more we rely on other people to think for us, the stupider we get. I’m always amazed at how mystified people are of the computer–
Rendezvous is an extremely important technology. Imagine setting up a new network printer and just plugging it in to the network and not having to go to every terminal in your office to set it up. Instead they printer appears to every user on the subnet.
Even all those people who shouldn’t have access to print to it. Just because my printer is on the network, doesn’t mean I want everybody on the subnet capable of printing to it.
Rendezvous is a convenience for sure, but sometimes conveniences are just another way to create headaches.
“Even all those people who shouldn’t have access to print to it. Just because my printer is on the network, doesn’t mean I want everybody on the subnet capable of printing to it. “
this is an issue with office management rather than network simplicity and time saving of the person in charge of this.
“Rendezvous is a convenience for sure, but sometimes conveniences are just another way to create headaches.”
You contridict yourself, you admit its a convenience but say it leads to headaches, thats not a convenience anymore.
You contridict yourself, you admit its a convenience but say it leads to headaches, thats not a convenience anymore
I don’t think I do. I see Rendevous as more of a ‘home’ technology. For the newbie user, it is convenient because they don’t have to do anything– but as your resources grow and you need to begin limiting access to certain resources (such as printers), rendevous isn’t as convenient as it once was.
Definitely depends on the network, IMHO.
I installed it, hooked up my iBook laptop to my Windows PC, opened up IE and added the Rendevous Toolbar button and then their poped up my FTP and Web Site on my iBook in IE without having to enter the IP at all. This would be great for corporate Intranets and yes it did ask for a username and password before I could connect.
People used to say that the GUI was for WIMPs (windows, icons, and pointers) until it was availble for DOS users. People used to say that the GUI wasn’t for professionals. I don’t know why people are so resistant to improvements in technology. Apple is trying to make IP work as well as Appletalk.
There is NOTHING wrong with making something easy to use. I ofen hear people put down Apple for putting effort into usuability, I just don’t understand why. You can still do it the hard way WITH the technology in place!
“Even all those people who shouldn’t have access to print to it. Just because my printer is on the network, doesn’t mean I want everybody on the subnet capable of printing to it.”
Then you imply configure the printer to “Not Share Using Rendezvous”. If you want it available to everyone, you simply configure it to “Share Using Rendezvous”. That simple. If you don;t want to auto discover things, don’t. If you do, then do.
“Then you [S]imply configure…”
believe or not, but Mandrake presented Zeroconf in version 9.1 which does exacly this.
You know, there are many computer users – let’s say most users – out there who could give a crap less about setting up equipment with fun names like TCP/IP, DHCP, NAT, SQPR, and on and on. They just want this new thing they bought for the office to freaking work, without 14 pages of wizard setup, instructions in stereo techno-bable or typing in settings that look like sanskrit.
Technologies like Rendezvous allow mere mortal office people, like the small business guy who will do his own tech support for 10 people, or like me, who run a lab but are not a tech guy but a designer and have other things to do. Rendezvous is a huge plus and harks back to the day of AppleTalk networks [when they were isolated] and makes life easier and allows peole to get work done and not sit and fiddle with settings for 3 hours so everyone can use a new printer or something.
If it works for the average user, and works well and makes life and work easier, that’s good.
xnetzero is just worried about losing his job. If everything is easy to setup and don’t require a tech (like me or xnetzero) to configure), then there won’t be a need for as many of us techies.
Personally I think this is a good thing. Maybe we can then start helping people actually be more productive.
“believe or not, but Mandrake presented Zeroconf in version 9.1 which does exacly this.”
Yeah, except that it didn’t work right.
Hey, when 10 LaserJet 2400’s show up on the network, I’ll have the users call you to figure out which one to print to. How soon we forget AppleTalk hell…
How do you turn off the Rendevous protocol on a HP printer? (turn off mDNS and no it’s not in the manual).
I never said it didn’t have its purposes but on a large network, it will cause headaches for both the techs and the noobs.
WIMP satands for Windows Icons Menus and Pulldowns.
Those oldies amongst us may remember .. lol!
I’m not worried about losing my job… As more and more rendevous devices show up on the network, I’ll have even more work because of the confusion it will cause those users who insist on learning nothing about networking.
Though to be honest, it’ll be nothing like the work load that is generated after the latest M$ worm plows through.
“Hey, when 10 LaserJet 2400’s show up on the network, I’ll have the users call you to figure out which one to print to. How soon we forget AppleTalk hell… ”
Why aren’t you naming printers?
If you aren’t naming printers and you are forcing them to use the Printers and Fax control panel, aren’t they all named the same anyway?
Rendezvous dos not need to be enabled for the device. Nor does it need to be enabled for the user.
You say this is just as confusing for the noob as it is for the tech… Personally I don’t see how either could be confused. When you see this deployed in action, it is all quite simple. Either it makes all steps easier, some steps easier, most steps easier with a bit more control/trust granted to the users, or you can do all the work you want to…
i’m excited about having a common protocol to do file and print sharing over my freebsd and linux computer and my powerbook as well as being able to print to windows printers from all those platforms much easier then it was in the past. i hope this “technology preview” matures quickly.
and to the guy who thinks that only network admins should be able to share data across networks: this is great for my computers at home. this is great for anyone who has a laptop and wants to be able to take it anywhere and print on a public printer (at a friends house or at a coffee shop). this is great for people who don’t want to set up DNS servers (or hosts files)in their house to get named access to other networked devices. sure it might not be the ideal solution for enterprise, but for anyone who doesn’t want to spend their whole life managing a network or setting up often cryptic services (which i think is most of us), this is a great protocol.
Sorry for the bad english
>WIMP stands for Windows Icons Menus and Pulldowns
Windows Icons Menus and Pointer for RISC OS and for the others too)
>but as your resources grow and you need to begin limiting access to certain resources (such as printers), rendevous isn’t as convenient as it once was.
Zeroconf/Rendezvous does not mean that you cannot set specific rights to access a ressource…
It is… IMHO, you make a confusion between network administration and rights/users administration. Zeroconf solves the network administration problems. It’s very usefull – for example – on big a network when DHCPed computers act like servers.
I hope that my explanation is clear
>It is…
I mean : it’s convenient.
Sorry but I swap two sentences… this one was the first of my reply… I should go to sleep
If this guy knows as much about networking as he claims then I suggest he look up ZeroConfig on the internet, read the spec. then come and explain any loopholes it has in it.
Rendevous is Apples implementation of ZC – in fact they were the major driving force behind it because the extreme geeks in the networking community (standard bodies and the like – i am not talking your everyday network admin) could not appreciate that user-friendly can be applied to networks (sound like somebody).
So basically ZC is Appletalk concepts extended to tcp/ip – no more need for a centralised DHCP server coz each node on the network can find other nodes and they can somehow arbitrate unique IP numbers.
I do not claim to know how unlike other people, all I know is
1.) This standard (ZC) was created by industry experts and is not something that was homegrown or hacked together by apple as some posts would like to imply. Even if they did, I think they have increasingly shown that they are capable and deserving of a leadership position in the end-user networking market (vs. backend networking i.e. Jupiter, CISCO, etc.)
The last thing is – this has been tried and tested and is not just coming out with release one today. If XNET had an idea of the full spectrum of uses this has at a power/enterprise level he wouldn’t even speak.
This has been used in distributed builds and rendering where a computer starts to contribute resources as soon as it is attached to the network IF IT HAS BEEN CONFIGURED TO DO SO, just like one configures computers manually.
And my use of the word configure is not correct. With rendevous you are more like enabling where enable means checking or unchecking (or typing a command at the CLI) a checkbox and a confirmation. Voila!!!
Look at the last paragraph on this page and read…