Microsoft releases Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 at last

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 02 July 2008 05:15

Opinion and Analysis

Microsoft has finally released Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 after a protracted beta period. Used to remotely control a Windows system across a network from a Mac, a key feature of the new release is support for Network Level Authentication as used in Vista.

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.0 (RDC 2) is free software that can be downloaded from Microsoft's web site. It is a Universal application for PowerPC and Intel-based Macs, and requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later.

RDC 2 works with versions of Windows supporting Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services, including Vista Business, Enterprise or Ultimate; XP Professional or Media Center; and the Datacenter, Enterprise and Standard editions of Server 2003 or 2008.

Other changes in the new version include RDP 6.0 support, simultaneous connections to multiple PCs, the ability to resize screens during a session, and support for printing to any Mac printer (version 1 was limited to PostScript printing).

Another convenient improvement is that the software allows custom keyboard shortcuts, and the Mac keystrokes for cut, copy and paste (command-X, -C and -V) are automatically mapped onto their Windows equivalents (control-X, -C and -V).

The first beta of RDC 2.0 appeared at the end of July 2007, but previous release schedules were set aside to allow Microsoft's Mac Business Unit to concentrate on getting Office 2008 out of the door in January.

A second beta followed, but when that expired on March 31, the company initially said that there would be not be another beta version, and that users would have to wait for the final release scheduled for May 2008.

Please read on for news of Messenger for Mac.