Windows Meeting Space

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Windows Meeting Space

Windows Meeting Space in Windows Vista
Developer:	Microsoft
Latest release:	6.0.6000.16386 / November 8, 2006
OS:	Microsoft Windows
Use:	Peer-to-peer
License:	Proprietary EULA
Website:	Windows Vista: Features Explained: Windows Meeting Space

Windows Meeting Space is the name of a peer-to-peer collaboration program in Windows Vista which lets 2-10 users start sessions with other users for collaboration. It is a replacement for the older Windows NetMeeting application, however features like microphone support, and ability to set up audio or video conferences, are now removed. Microsoft recommends Windows Live Messenger for conferencing, however Windows Live Messenger does not offer peer-to-peer connectivity and conferencing within a local network without internet access. ^[1] Windows Meeting Space has the ability to automatically set up an ad hoc wireless network if it can't find an existing network, which enables use in a conference room, a hotspot, or a place where no network exists. People can join a session that someone else sets up, or they can start a session and invite other people to join. It is also notable because it is one of the first applications for the peer to peer framework and hence requires IPv6.^[2]

[edit] Features

Windows Meeting Space allows sharing of the desktop with other coworkers, distribution and collaborative editing of documents, and passing notes to other participants. The session management features include options for starting a new session, joining an existing session, inviting someone to join a session and accepting an invitation to join an ongoing collaboration session. On starting a session, a workspace, which contains a presentation area, is displayed. A list of users, with whom a collaboration session can be started, and a list of notes are also shown. Participants are automatically detected by using the People Near Me functionality, based on WS-Discovery in the peer-to-peer networking implementation in Windows Vista. It allows Windows Meeting Space application to find other users running the same application, and therefore eligible for a participating in a collaboration session. A new collaboration session has to be created and participants are to be invited. Applications can be shared in the session, which will be local to that session only. When an application is shared, Windows Meeting Space switches into presentation mode so that participants can see what the presenter is working on and collaboratively edit or review the shared application instance.