SharedView Expands Collaboration Portfolio

Currently in public beta, SharedView (formerly code-named Tahiti) is a free, advertising-funded desktop application and back-end hosted service that gives Windows users an ad hoc way to share files, applications running on their PC, or their entire PC desktop in Internet-based meetings with up to 15 participants. However, SharedView overlaps with other Microsoft collaboration products, which undoubtedly will confuse many customers. Microsoft has given no estimate of when it expects the final version to be released, suggesting uncertainty over the product’s future.

What Is SharedView?

SharedView consists of two parts:

A client-side application for 32-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Vista. At this stage of the beta program, no 64-bit versions of Windows are supported, but the final system requirements are unknown at this time.

An Internet service hosted by Microsoft. (The company has stated that SharedView will not be branded as either “Windows Live” or “Office Live,” unlike many of its other advertising-funded online services.)