[nagromme]

I'm awaiting an AirPort-equipped AlBook, and wondering what time-wasting fun can be had with it, if I come within range of another AirPort-equipped Mac, like at a Cafe or on a plane...

If I have Rendezvous sharing enabled in iTunes, and someone else does too... and we both have AirPort on... will I automatically see their music? Would we need to meet and set up something in advance for that to work? How about iChat? (If iChat will work, then that would open the door to setting up a LAN game or anything.)

Both iChat and iTunes say you must be on the same "subnet." Would that be the case when coming in range of a stranger's AirPort Mac, or not? (Assuming they have those features turned on at all, of course.)

Any other Rendezvous stuff to play with over AirPort?

TIA

[macndave]

Originally posted by nagromme:

If I have Rendezvous sharing enabled in iTunes, and someone else does too... and we both have AirPort on... will I automatically see their music? Would we need to meet and set up something in advance for that to work? How about iChat? (If iChat will work, then that would open the door to setting up a LAN game or anything.)

I can only speak to iTunes music sharing. If you are on the same airport network (either an established one such as a hotspot, office network or one that you create) and the other user joins the network (manually or has their Mac or PC set to automatically join), then their library and/or playlists will automatically appear and be available for you to listen...just by you both having iTunes 4 running.

Remember spread good karma by streaming and accepting streams, not using software to download shared music.

Oh...If they have music purchased from the Apple iTunes Music Store, they would have to "authorize" you listening to the music on your Mac. I think this would count as one of the three computers which would listen to music that they had purchased.

[nagromme]

If the network in question is JUST the two Macs, does it need to be set up manually by the two users being in communication verbally?

Or can the two Macs just "see" each other and it will work? (Like when I connect ethernet between two Macs--they instantly "see" each others' music and iChat.)

(And never fear, I never pirate.)

[macndave]

Originally posted by nagromme:
If the network in question is JUST the two Macs, does it need to be set up manually by the two users being in communication verbally?

Or can the two Macs just "see" each other and it will work? (Like when I connect ethernet between two Macs--they instantly "see" each others' music and iChat.)

(And never fear, I never pirate.)

One of you would have to be running "a network" via an airport card or an add-on third party 802.11x card. The Macs would not just "see" one another otherwise. To automatically join 802.11x networks, go the the system control panel, then Network, then Show Airport, finally select "Join: Automatically"

[nagromme]

Understood--that's the extra step not needed with ethernet then. Thanks for the info, all!