A lot of people say this is no big deal because other solutions are available.
However a big value add that Microsoft has is really amazing performance with their remote desktop systems, compared to most other competitors.
Even when other companies use the same RDP protocol the performance is usually not as good, and things like VNC and TeamViewer have much lower refresh rates.
Other solutions have some unique features that are useful, but for pure performance it doesn't get much better than this.
I have yet to use any other remote desktop system that feels nearly as responsive as Microsoft's own RDP implementation, and I've used many. The others I've used are workable (especially over very fast links), but with every interaction there is just enough lag to continually remind you that you're running over a network connection, whereas Microsoft's RDP feels pretty much like running locally as long as you avoid gaming or high-frame-rate video.
I haven't tried their Android client yet, but I'm hoping it works nearly as well as their desktop implementation does.
I think the state of the art right now is Remmina, which allows you to connect to Windows 7 + systems. I dont know if rdesktop now allows you to do that, but (a year ago) earlier it didnt.
The other big deal is that an Official app means a lot more when talking to some management people. "We are using Microsoft software to talk to Microsoft software" is a pretty easy statement. Also, if you work at one of those places that have approved vendors[1] then this is great.
1) did that once, oh my but it was more bureaucratic than some government agencies
Now if they can do this in Linux, then I can use Mint or Ubuntu 100% and access my email without having to open my company device... just keep it handy.
You can use any number of remote desktop front ends for Mint/Ubuntu...rdesktop for starters. Beyond that, if your company's mail server is a recent version of exchange, or even MS's office365 service, you should be able to configure your email client of choice.
Effective October 8th 2013, iTAP mobile RDP apps for iOS, Mac OS X and Android platforms are discontinued.
We will continue to support the customers who have installed this app up to this date but the app will no longer be available at the application stores and no further updates will be released.
We recommend you evaluate the new Microsoft Remote Desktop app available in app stores later this month.
Thank you for using iTAP mobile RDP.
Regards,
iTap mobile team"
Anyone that used the iTap version may find some very similar interface design and an amazingly identical feature set (iTap was the only iOS and Android RDP client with RemoteFX support for instance - something this new MS client heavily touts).
I haven't seen official statement to this effect, it's just the timing, design, and feature set (like MS suddenly having an iOS, Android, and new OS X client) seem way too coincidental.
Edit: The new OS X app doesn't appear to share the code base of the old one, as the new one exports/imports actual PC .rdp configuration files whereas the original MS RDP client for OS X also makes ".rdp" files - but they're not in a format compatible with Windows Remote Desktop client or vice versa.
Edit:
Microsoft confirms it bought the new code base from iTap:
Microsoft acquired iTap which offered Android, iOS, and OS X versions. I'm assuming we're probably seeing that same rebranded product which is why there isn't a Windows Phone option.
Good for Microsoft. This is a confident move, as when Google rolls out a app or feature on iOS before Android. I'm sure a Windows phone version is coming.
Microsoft needs to do more of this. Neither consumers nor the company benefits when people delay creating value for the sake paying an internal alignment tax,
There has to be some kind of coordination as they did the same thing with recent updates to Skype. iOS and Android first then Windows Phone OS a month or so later.
Seems like bad messaging from Microsoft about the Windows Phone platform, an official RDP client isn't a make or break type app, there is no (apparent) compelling business reason not to hold back on iOS and Android so that the WP version could be released simultaneously. If Microsoft won't hold app releases until the WP version is ready to along with iOS and Android how can they expect anyone else to either?
This just looks really bad. If even the maker of windows phone considers it the last platform to develop for, we shouldn't blame or expect more from other app developers. This just adds more reason for me to replace my windows phone with an iphone/android
That's not a limitation of the new apps, it's one of the differentiating features between versions of Windows. The big reasons to buy Windows Professional are for the disk encryption and RDP server.
Hmm. If only it supported SSH tunnelling out of the box. Seriously, RDP is not exactly "safe", and SSH gateways are common in mixed shops. I use Jump Desktop because of that alone.
I'm not using Windows as a server - I'm using xrdp on Linux to access remote X sessions, since it's MUCH faster than any alternative (nomachine, vnc, etc.)
A VPN is pretty trivial on Linux too, running OpenVPN is just a matter of installing it, writing a simple config file (5-6 lines) and running the command.
I've set up a VPN connections between my Nexus and a VPS in less than 30m (I use OpenVPN for Android instead of the official client since the latter doesn't seem to support pre-shared keys).
There is a way - this is just a license limitation imposed by Microsoft to make their pricey server OSes an easier sell. However, you can fairly easily modify Win7 to allow for multiple logins [1].
RDP opens a remote session, it's not the same as sharing. It actual creates a new user session and redirects the video output.
I use TeamViewer personal edition to be able to access my computers from either at home or away. It's free and really convenient. Yesterday I was in San Diego and my mother-in-law couldn't figure out how to get a movie going for the kids. I used TeamViewer on my Android phone, logged into the HTPC, and got the movie playing in XBMC.
Not always -- my main use of RDP is to remotely access the primary session on my workstation. Microsoft also provides "Windows Remote Assistance" which is a mechanism for generating a code that you send to someone else, allowing them to connect to and view (and optionally control) your primary session while you're still using it.
Supposedly the built in 'Remote Assistance' feature gives you screen-sharing and uses the RDP protocol. I wouldn't expect it to work with this app, though.
I've actually had RDP completely corrupt my session. Like, after I disconnect the host just gives up the ghost. I walk over and give it the three-finger-salute and I can log into another session with another user, but when I try to switch back to my old session it's just blackness. I can't even RDP back in.
Happened with two different machines at my office. Surprising. I wouldn't be surprised if RDP isn't doing something entirely-too-clever with vram.
They don't do anything with VRAM. I think they switch win32k and other calls between RDPDD and the current display driver and automatically change the display settings, which can be a quite tricky task. Some links:
Pretty slick and usable for first version. A few more tweaks like ability to pan the desktop so you could actually click the close button on maximized windows would make it the perfect RDP client on Mobile. (I used PocketCloud for some time but the recent versions are not updated for some time and thus buggy at least with Android 4.3.)
Microsoft, you're more than a little late to the game. It'll have to really blow away Jump Desktop for me to bother using your app. Jump has a lot of very nice features, especially the one where it'll open an SSH tunnel for the RDC session to go through without me needing to launch another client first. It's perfect for setting up behind a router running DD-WRT or other variant, so the Remote Desktop port on my Windows box isn't exposed to the rest of the world.
Jump Desktop + ConnectBot for the ssh tunnel works well for me. I use it to bring up the desktop on my TV via an Android "mini PC"; vi on a TV is an interesting experience :-) Also great for reading pdfs.
I'd like to see them produce an official Chrome RDP app.
Would make me feel better about getting my wife a Chromebook if she could occasionally access Internet Explorer (dodgy training website requiring IE ONLY) over RDP to a VM running on a home server.
Chrome has its own Remote Desktop which allows it to connect to a Chrome server on another machine. It currently supports Windows and Mac as the remote desktop. Chromebooks are supported as one of the clients.
Side note: I really wish Apple similarly supported remote desktop in "Back to My Mac" on the iPad. I think would spend a whole lot more time doing work on my iPad with keyboard rather than lugging my 2 year old MBP around.
I clicked through in a hurry to download it, as I am sure it will be a high-quality RDP client implementation, but then I remembered I have no PCs running Windows any more (and neither does my immediate family).
However a big value add that Microsoft has is really amazing performance with their remote desktop systems, compared to most other competitors.
Even when other companies use the same RDP protocol the performance is usually not as good, and things like VNC and TeamViewer have much lower refresh rates.
Other solutions have some unique features that are useful, but for pure performance it doesn't get much better than this.