Setup and Interface
Setting up a conference is simple.
After logging in with username and password at the Yugma portal site, the elegant-looking client software launches. Clicking the Invite Contacts button opens a new Outlook e-mail form with a message giving the session ID of the meeting and a link for participants to follow to join it. The session leader simply selects participants from his Outlook Contacts (or Yugma Contacts) list and clicks Send.
In the similar-looking Skype version, which is downloadable from the Skype site and integrates with your Skype client, the Invite Contacts link opens the Skype Contacts list. Selecting contacts automatically sends out a Chat message with session ID and link.
In either case, participants following the link are prompted to download and install a Java applet if it’s their first Yugma conference (the applet launches automatically on subsequent conferences) and then key in a username to join the session.
The client software appears by default as a top-to-bottom vertical panel along the right side of the screen. It includes a standard menu bar at the top along with a cell-phone-like connectivity strength gauge that shows the throughput of the user’s connection to the Yugma server.
A cluster of icon buttons below the menu provides quick access to major functions such as Begin Sharing, Change Presenter, Share Files, Annotation Tools, and Mouse/Keyboard Control. Some of the icons are not particularly intuitive and the mouse-over text labels work only intermittently, so newbies may have to rely on the text menus.
A panel below these controls shows a list of attendees and indicates who is host, who is presenter, and who has mouse/keyboard control. The bottom panel is a chat window with at least two tabs, one for Public Chat, which all participants see, and one or more for Private Chats that participants can set up.
The user interface can also be minimized to show just the icon buttons.
When sharing begins, the presenter’s desktop or the shared application appears in a window on participants’ screens. That window can be maximized, but will cover the Yugma interface.
The feature—new in the latest version—that allows a presenter to limit the view to just one application has a slight flaw, which Yugma acknowledges: If the presenter launches other programs after the session begins, those applications will be visible to participants.
The software displays a disclaimer at the beginning of each session warning presenters of this fact, and the company says it is working on new code to prevent it happening in future versions.
The basic functions are for the most part self-explanatory and familiar enough. Giving another participant mouse and keyboard control allows them to interact with the presenter’s desktop or the shared application as if they were sitting at his desk. (The presenter can regain temporary control simply by typing or moving his mouse.)
Ditto for the annotation tools. The controller—either the presenter or a designated attendee—can draw shapes, lines, squiggles and highlighting on the presenter’s desktop or the shared application.
The effectiveness of desktop or application sharing and of remote desktop control and annotation is entirely dependent on throughput speed. If presenters have to wait for slides to appear on participants’ screens, for example, the application won’t be very effective.
In initial tests, this was a problem for some participants, but in the final test after Yugma had stabilized its system, response times were uniformly excellent.
Changes made by a presenter—display of a new slide in a PowerPoint deck, for example—appeared almost instantly on participants’ screens in the share window. When controlling a remote presenter’s desktop, typed characters or annotation gestures appeared with minimal delay.
The shared file space feature also worked flawlessly. Standard word processing documents uploaded to the Yugma server were available for download within seconds. A company representative says other users have stress tested the system by sending very large files, but none has managed to seriously impact performance.
That could change as the service becomes more heavily used, if Yugma doesn’t keep scaling up server and bandwidth capacity. But for now it works well.
Bandwidth may be an issue, however, if you’re also using Skype for voice conferencing. In our third conference, with three participants, we used Skype. While data throughput was excellent, voice connections were subpar, with voices fading out to the point of inaudibility at times, especially when more than one participant was talking.
(Note: if you use Skype for voice, you will have to set up the audio conference separately from the Skype client—the integration with Yugma is only to allow access to your Skype contact list to facilitate inviting attendees.)
Bottom Line: the client software and portal are well designed, the functionality is above average, and performance can be very good.
Yugma provides the professional service, which you will want if you’re planning to use this for business, on a 15-day trial basis. Our recommendation: test it for the full 15 days, and test it often with as many participants as possible. Our only concern, based on the experience described here, is the robustness of the service.
If you consistently get performance and service levels equal to the best we experienced, chances are it will stand up for the long haul. Collaboration in Action
Performance Issues
Article courtesy of VoIPPlanet.
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