Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Introduces Multi-user Screen Sharing

Open your account on a computer remotely with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion's Screen Sharing feature.

Apple’s Mac OSX 10.7 Lion features a built-in Screen Sharing, enabling remote users to log into a separate account from a computer that is currently open. Simply put, while a user is logged into a Mac computer, a second user can open his account on the same machine remotely. That said, any users that can perform screen sharing with a Lion system can continue working in a separate graphical session parallel to the logged in user.

This new feature means that Mac OS X Lion is now capable of multiple, simultaneous graphical shells from remote users. It’s a technology similar to Microsoft’s Citrix for Windows NT 3.51. However, Apple has improved its Screen Sharing applications with Observe or View Only, and Control modes. In addition to these, the Mac OS X also have a Screen Capture button that appears to be a borrowed feature from Apple Remote Desktop. More over, keyboard shortcuts for switching from Observe to Control modes are also available.

But don’t be amazed yet, because Mac OS X Lion’s Screen Sharing feature is still a work in process. Still encountering glitches and kernel panic, the new system likely involves significant changes on how Apple’s Mac OS X 10.7 handles user logins.