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Apple Alerting Customers to Upcoming Discontinuation of Back to My Mac in macOS Mojave
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So not only is Google spying on all your searches, recording your browsing history (via search, DNS queries and Google Analytics and ad code), you now want to invite the NSA, the FBI and the CIA to browse your computers at will? Not that Back to My Mac is much better but at least Apple will put up a nominal fight (require the secret court rubber stamp before allowing free access to your computers).
You may want to freshen up on vampire mythology. The vampire knocks. It's up to you not to let him or her cross the threshold. If you let him or her in, you're fair game.
Understood. That’s why I got a VPN router and fixed IP address (although the router also supports a number of dynamic dns services). I make my vpn connection from anywhere and, once I’m on my network, screen share as if I were in the office. File transfers are secure. Etc.
I haven’t used screen sharing through Messages. When I need to screen share with my client, we use Webex. That’s what they use and it works fine for me. We never control each other’s machines (although it’s an option). I just act as presenter to show them my screen. It’s always worked very well.
Man this is sad news for me as I rely on Back to My Mac when I work from home. It works flawlessly for me, from file sharing to screen sharing. Curse you Tim Cook!
"Back to My Mac is a feature that is designed to allow Mac owners to connect to one Mac from another Mac for file transfers and screen sharing purposes. It lets users set up a network of Mac computers with two or more Macs, but it can be complicated to set up and use, which may be why Apple has decided to discontinue it in favor of simpler measures. "
What a ridiculous description of BTMM. I don't think the original article author even knows what it is.... and I don't think but 3 or 4 posters on here even know what it is and ever used it.
Yes, you have your Finder sidebar with your home machine(s) showing for remote file access and screen sharing. You don't need BTMM for that on your LAN. But what was cool with BTMM is that with very little setup (totally easy), you could click on the home machine(s) in the sidebar from anywhere in the world (which I did) and get to the files residing on the remote home machine(s) and share the screen(s)... even if the remote access is behind a firewall that you don't have control over or leverages tethering (without NAT or UPnP it would be slow, though). The problem, however, is that I was successful in connecting maybe 80% of the time on the first usage (first since last reboot of home machine, since last voodoo dance ...who knows what condition...) and then maybe 20% or less of the time on second try (after network connection drops at local location or voluntarily disconnecting). As another poster mentioned, it becomes extremely frustrating because you end up sitting there in the hotel room or bar or whatever, thinking... "how can I reboot from here? maybe I can reboot router using BTMM (another nice BTMM feature when it works), but then that doesn't work either, so... fly home?
So I'm definitely bummed. I'd rather see it fixed (probably issues lie somewhere in MacOS) than dismantled.
What a ridiculous description of BTMM. I don't think the original article author even knows what it is.... and I don't think but 3 or 4 posters on here even know what it is and ever used it.
Yes, you have your Finder sidebar with your home machine(s) showing for remote file access and screen sharing. You don't need BTMM for that on your LAN. But what was cool with BTMM is that with very little setup (totally easy), you could click on the home machine(s) in the sidebar from anywhere in the world (which I did) and get to the files residing on the remote home machine(s) and share the screen(s)... even if the remote access is behind a firewall that you don't have control over or leverages tethering (without NAT or UPnP it would be slow, though). The problem, however, is that I was successful in connecting maybe 80% of the time on the first usage (first since last reboot of home machine, since last voodoo dance ...who knows what condition...) and then maybe 20% or less of the time on second try (after network connection drops at local location or voluntarily disconnecting). As another poster mentioned, it becomes extremely frustrating because you end up sitting there in the hotel room or bar or whatever, thinking... "how can I reboot from here? maybe I can reboot router using BTMM (another nice BTMM feature when it works), but then that doesn't work either, so... fly home?
So I'm definitely bummed. I'd rather see it fixed (probably issues lie somewhere in MacOS) than dismantled.
I has heard that AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule routers were no longer available from Apple, but I logged on to Apple.com tonight, browsed to Mac and then to Accessories and then to Networking and sure enough, there were the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme products.
Did these go away and come back?
Did these go away and come back?
This was once possible back in the days of .Mac tools. But cancelled due to obvious revenue reasons.
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As long as there are some in stock. The product line itself has been terminated.
TeamViewer is one of the greatest products ever...for espionage. Image you're a spy agency who needs to break into a corporation. How do you do it?
Why not write a remote control app that people can use for free, and get them to install it everywhere?
Genius!
That's what TeamViewer is: a backdoor into every network. It's crazy how many corporations have TeamViewer instances set up. I've used it as an easy way to do hands-on stuff on customer boxes. The thing is used by everyone, everywhere, from the Global 10 to 5-person shops. It's crazy.
And for all of that, it works really well. It's great at what it does. High-bandwidth links, low bandwidth links, multiple screens, it handles them all. You can even sort of watch videos over it.
Anyway, TeamViewer is great, but be sure to shut it down once you're done.
Why not write a remote control app that people can use for free, and get them to install it everywhere?
Genius!
That's what TeamViewer is: a backdoor into every network. It's crazy how many corporations have TeamViewer instances set up. I've used it as an easy way to do hands-on stuff on customer boxes. The thing is used by everyone, everywhere, from the Global 10 to 5-person shops. It's crazy.
And for all of that, it works really well. It's great at what it does. High-bandwidth links, low bandwidth links, multiple screens, it handles them all. You can even sort of watch videos over it.
Anyway, TeamViewer is great, but be sure to shut it down once you're done.
Tim’s long term plan: get rid of all Macs, sell only IOS devices and watches. Done!
Craig Federighi can't deliver a macOS release with features promised at WWDC every year, let alone fixing longstanding old bugs. But now this is touching bottom and going like MS when they start removing useful features and charging exorbitant amount of money...
Another reason not to “upgrade” to MacOS-X Mojave beyond apps I use not being supported because they’re 32 bit. I forget whether 32 bit apps will be unable to work completely, or if the OS will just nag me about nagging the devs to update to 64 bit every time I install or run them.
Apple today began sending out notifications to customers letting them know that support for Back to My Mac is ending in macOS Mojave.
Back to My Mac was not present in the first developer beta of macOS Mojave and it has not been available in any subsequent beta, but many customers may have missed the news of its imminent sunsetting, which has now been confirmed by Apple.
Back to My Mac is a feature that is designed to allow Mac owners to connect to one Mac from another Mac for file transfers and screen sharing purposes. It lets users set up a network of Mac computers with two or more Macs, but it can be complicated to set up and use, which may be why Apple has decided to discontinue it in favor of simpler measures.
Apple is directing customers to a support document that outlines the changes coming to Back to My Mac, instructing them on how to transition to iCloud Drive, screen sharing, and Apple Remote Desktop.Apple's support document suggests customers can access all of their files across devices with iCloud Drive, operate other Macs with screen sharing, and manage Macs remotely with Apple Remote Desktop, software available from the Mac App Store for $80.
Many Back to My Mac users are likely to be unhappy with Apple's suggestion to transition to Apple Remote Desktop for remote management given its high price and the fact that it sees few updates, but there are other options like TeamViewer and LogMeIn.
Article Link: Apple Alerting Customers to Upcoming Discontinuation of Back to My Mac in macOS Mojave
Honestly, I have come to regret deeply all the money squandered coming to Apple Werld, and this could be just the thing I need to push me to install GNU/Linux on my Mac, and sell all my other Apple stuff that can’t run any other OS and replace them with hardware not locked down to the whims of the iDictator on his iThrone in Cupertino
RealVNC provide a free service to connect 5 devices.
free clients and servers, for all mobile and desktop OSes.
It's been around for years.
free clients and servers, for all mobile and desktop OSes.
It's been around for years.
I do not think this will stop Plex Media Server from functioning remotely. Unsure if EyeTV Netstream and HP ePrint will continue to function. I suspect something will cease to function. I wish Apple would keep this function active. I use TeamViewer but is never as smooth as Dell's PocketCloud was.
I have used both Back to my Mac and Remote Viewer. They have different purposes. TeamVewer is okay, but it is pretty expensive for business use. One Drive works pretty well but if it is only Macs, then I use iCloud Drive. My work MacBook Pro and my personal MacBook Pro can both access the same files for three directories. If I need to get to the documents from a Windows computer, I just go to iCloud.com.
When will Apple introduce the disgruntled loyal Apple user emoji I wonder? I need it badly.
I'm a fan of Anydesk. Still has some bugs but it's the fastest remote desktop app that you can get and use for free (in my experience). And it's cross-platform as Hell (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android).
I get the point you are trying to make now. Sure, but it's not really a like for like comparison though. I do know the feature set of ARD and the Microsoft's products and their feature sets. I'm a senior systems engineer for a company that looks after both Microsoft and Apple environments with around 300 clients, some of those having around 5000 endpoints.
Though be straight, only our private schools use Apple kit. And all our schools ditched using ARD as its feature set is crap compared to what Microsoft with SCCM can provide. Though to make your point, there is a huge price difference. My point is, there is such a feature set AND price difference, that you can't really compare them directly.
Due to that, I didn't see the point in mentioning it as a comparison to begin with.
Thanks for clarifying.
I never got Back to my Mac to work properly anyway and have always used Jump Desktop, which actually does work well.
I actually quite like ARD but I don't see how it can be a direct replacement for BTTM.... ARD doesn't work from outside the local network without establishing a VPN.... does it??
Why do you continually defend Apple for removing a very useful first party means of accomplishing this? I don’t get your mindset
Did BTMM ever work with non-Apple networking hardware? I was never able to connect remotely using it with Linksys, TPLink, or Netgear routers. However, VNC Viewer worked just fine.
Devolutions just released a new completely free alternative to BTMM called Wayk Now which is available on both macOS and iOS but also on Windows, Android and Linux. It is actively being updated and seamlessly connects through NAT traversal and firewalls to all your devices for FREE! https://wayk.devolutions.net/
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