The Program

The application of the day today is a proprietary p2p VPN program.  Hamachi (by LogMeIn) is a program where users across the globe can connect to each other through a private, encrypted, VPN network.  VPN’s allow users in remote locations to be connected as if they were connected through a local area network.  This opens up many possibilities for playing games and connecting to other computers without going through the annoyance of properly setting up firewalls and routers.  It enables nearly all applications that can be run in a LAN environment to be run over the internet.

What limited use I’ve had with it, it’s worked perfectly.  I prefer OpenVPN (See previous article), but in situations where my non-computer-savvy friends need to be on a LAN with me, this program is better in that situation.

My current experience with the program is file sharing (which works perfectly) and only one game.  The game I tried to play with a friend – Company of Heroes – unfortunately didn’t work.  After doing some research online it appears that the game has trouble when the computer has multiple network interfaces.  Coming from a programming perspective this makes since (though it is poor programming on their part).

So, I would recommend Hamachi for all your simple VPN needs.

Skype is a multiplatform internet based phone program.  With the program you can make free calls from computer to computer (multiple people can be on one call), or calls to landline phones for a very low fee ($0.02/minute or $6/month for unlimited).  Back during the school year – October 2007 – I was between cellphone companies, one phone died and then I needed to get a new contract with another service provided.  So, for the down time, I got skype and put $10 on it, which was roughly equivalent to 6 hours of talk time.  This was enough to get me through the “dead time”.

The nice thing about skype is it works with Windows, Linux, and Mac.  Unfortunately, windows has the best client (in terms of appearance and functionality).  The linux client is definitely watered down with less functionality and appeal.  Just recently they added webcam support to the linux client.  The next version of Skype being released doesn’t even have a  planned linux client.

Linux Client:

Send an email to Skype!!! Ask for a good linux client!

Anyone have any information on how functional the Mac client is?  If so, feel free to comment.

OpenVPN is a program to create either a secure (SSL/TLS or static key) or insecure network tunnel application for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.  It’s not exactly like Hamachi for Windows (or what was previously known as Hamachi anyway).  It is an advanced ptp/server-client structured VPN system with per-client keys.  Much of its interface is CLI based, however there are 3rd party applications that manage client and server aspects of OpenVPN.  There is a relatively good GUI for windows that displays it’s current status, though the client still has to be configured in a text file by hand.

So, if you’re looking for a quick and easy connection for Windows you can use Hamachi.  If you’re looking for a professional VPN client-server system, consider using OpenVPN.  Great program: I’ve been using it for a long time and I’m very satisfied.