Apple has always been a supporter of open standards that allow for greater universal compatibility and one of its latest attempts to dispel myths and bridge the Windows/Mac gap further is the availability of Bonjour for Windows.
‘Bonjour’ used to known by Mac users as ‘Rendezvous’. A technology that transparently linked devices and Macs together over a network. Be it a wired, wireless or even Internet network. Because of copyright issues, Apple has since had to rename ‘Rendezvous’ to ‘Bonjour’.
Fancy techno names aside, Bonjour and Rendezvous is basically a universal standard that’s being quickly adopted, known to techno geeks as a ‘zero configuration protocol’.
What this protocol does is broadcast a device/computer’s IP address along a network to make it discoverable by other devices/computers. Beyond simple broadcasting zero configuration protocols facilitate automatic IP allocation that allow new devices and current devices to resolve IP conflicts and exist on a network in harmony.
This translates to a transparent network discovery protocol, giving users the ease of adding new devices or joining existing networks with minimal IP or DNS configuration know-how. For a user, complicated setup processes are reduced to a few clicks of the mouse to select and enable the desired device/computer or network.
To find out more about the latest developments check out the following sites:
- Apple Developer’s Network, Bonjour Page;
- Apple Support Bonjour For Windows Download Page;
- Apple’s Bonjour Page
Rendezvous Browser by TildeSoft allows you to view the available Rendezvous/Bonjour connections or live Rendezvous/Bonjour connections. Download Rendezvous Browser from TildeSoft to witness Rendezvous/Bonjour at work…