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What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great Books?
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Arlen Holder
Mar 20, 2020, 1:26:22 PM3/20/20
to
Great Books no longer can meet at the local library so they asked me to
figure out a good teleconferencing app for about a dozen people, none of
whom are younger than about 75.
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
Books?
Requirements:
a. Video + audio + screen sharing (as needed) for about a dozen people
b. Cross platform (to all the common consumer platforms)
c. Preferably as "private" as is humanly possible
Being in quarantine, most people I ask on the phone seemed to suggest
"Zoom"; which worked fine in our three-person test - but Zoom _requires_
the host to create an account (via email/passwd credentials, which Zoom
checks via an authentication email).
In addition, Zoom requires the client for all participants, which is to be
expected for any cross-platform freeware video-tele-conference application.
In summary, apparently, the Zoom host needs:
a. Host email/passwd
b. Host meeting ID
c. Zoom software
The Zoom participants appear to only need:
A. Host meeting ID
B. Zoom software
That's the worst case, which, if _all_ the teleconferencing apps require
the host to create an account, I guess we'll have to accept that by
creating a bogus email account on VPN for that login purpose for Zoom as
the host.
The good news is Zoom doesn't require an account for the participants.
o However, maybe there is a better privacy-aware videoteleconference app?
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
call app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing
Great Books?
According to Wikipedia, these are, apparently, the main contenders:
o ACT Conferencing
o Adobe Acrobat Connect
o AT Conference
o Compunetix
o Elluminate
o Glance
o Google Hangouts (although Google may be killing it in the future)
o GoToMeeting
o InterCall
o LifeSize
o Livestorm Meet
o LoopUp
o MeetingZone
o MS Office Live Meeting
o my Global Conference
o Polycom
o Premiere Global Services
o Skype
o TrueConf
o Voxeet
o WebEx
o Zoom
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleconference>
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
Books?
--
Usenet allows purposefully helpful adults to share solutions with others.
figure out a good teleconferencing app for about a dozen people, none of
whom are younger than about 75.
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
Books?
Requirements:
a. Video + audio + screen sharing (as needed) for about a dozen people
b. Cross platform (to all the common consumer platforms)
c. Preferably as "private" as is humanly possible
Being in quarantine, most people I ask on the phone seemed to suggest
"Zoom"; which worked fine in our three-person test - but Zoom _requires_
the host to create an account (via email/passwd credentials, which Zoom
checks via an authentication email).
In addition, Zoom requires the client for all participants, which is to be
expected for any cross-platform freeware video-tele-conference application.
In summary, apparently, the Zoom host needs:
a. Host email/passwd
b. Host meeting ID
c. Zoom software
The Zoom participants appear to only need:
A. Host meeting ID
B. Zoom software
That's the worst case, which, if _all_ the teleconferencing apps require
the host to create an account, I guess we'll have to accept that by
creating a bogus email account on VPN for that login purpose for Zoom as
the host.
The good news is Zoom doesn't require an account for the participants.
o However, maybe there is a better privacy-aware videoteleconference app?
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
call app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing
Great Books?
According to Wikipedia, these are, apparently, the main contenders:
o ACT Conferencing
o Adobe Acrobat Connect
o AT Conference
o Compunetix
o Elluminate
o Glance
o Google Hangouts (although Google may be killing it in the future)
o GoToMeeting
o InterCall
o LifeSize
o Livestorm Meet
o LoopUp
o MeetingZone
o MS Office Live Meeting
o my Global Conference
o Polycom
o Premiere Global Services
o Skype
o TrueConf
o Voxeet
o WebEx
o Zoom
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleconference>
What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
Books?
--
Usenet allows purposefully helpful adults to share solutions with others.
Arlen Holder
Mar 21, 2020, 8:12:17 AM3/21/20
to
On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 13:45:05 -0700, Mike Easter wrote:
> I don't know how your Great Books meeting works, but my library's book
> club doesn't really need the vid part of teleconferencing. We have a
> leader who leads and the individuals speak up their input. It isn't
> really necessary to vid the leader or the participant.
Hi Mike Easter,
As for what a Great Books group would need, you're correct in that audio is
paramount, where there have been a few discussions on the Android newsgroup
on how to ensure audio is working since audio is one of those things that
has a _lot_ of external controls to it.
o Zoom audio problem, by pinnerite
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/0mc-j9faTWA>
For example, on the Android newsgroups, we discussed external control of
easily accessed quicklaunch mute switches earlier this week:
<https://i.postimg.cc/Dz8kBhD2/mute01.jpg>
Which resulted, as always, in value added to our overall tribal knowledge:
o Tutorial: Quick test of quick(er) access to muting sounds
(alarms, calls, calendarm, emails, etc.) on Android
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/h7cn3bl61Ew>
Where, for example, even if we limit ourselves to the Zoom app, there
_still_ are a host of audio settings which can affect audio output:
<https://i.postimg.cc/SNtGhJ5X/zoom01.jpg>
In summary, audio is required (and audio has many settings), but video is
nice, as is "raising the hand" and "public chat" which Zoom has in spades.
So far, nobody suggested anything better than Zoom, and that's what we
tested, but I love facts so if there are more facts, let's hear them.
Currently, our use model is simple, where it must take into account we're
all over 75 and hence, no one person can always host the meetings:
a. Everyone has been given the Great Books' administrator email & password.
b. Anyone can start the meeting using the unique permanent meeting ID.
c. We meet at a given time so it's expected "someone" will host the
meeting.
d. Others will join the meeting, via Zoom, once someone hosts it.
How does that sound for the plan for quarantine-based Great Books meetings?
--
When people purposefully help each other on the Usenet potluck, we all win.
> I don't know how your Great Books meeting works, but my library's book
> club doesn't really need the vid part of teleconferencing. We have a
> leader who leads and the individuals speak up their input. It isn't
> really necessary to vid the leader or the participant.
Hi Mike Easter,
As for what a Great Books group would need, you're correct in that audio is
paramount, where there have been a few discussions on the Android newsgroup
on how to ensure audio is working since audio is one of those things that
has a _lot_ of external controls to it.
o Zoom audio problem, by pinnerite
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/0mc-j9faTWA>
For example, on the Android newsgroups, we discussed external control of
easily accessed quicklaunch mute switches earlier this week:
<https://i.postimg.cc/Dz8kBhD2/mute01.jpg>
Which resulted, as always, in value added to our overall tribal knowledge:
o Tutorial: Quick test of quick(er) access to muting sounds
(alarms, calls, calendarm, emails, etc.) on Android
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/h7cn3bl61Ew>
Where, for example, even if we limit ourselves to the Zoom app, there
_still_ are a host of audio settings which can affect audio output:
<https://i.postimg.cc/SNtGhJ5X/zoom01.jpg>
In summary, audio is required (and audio has many settings), but video is
nice, as is "raising the hand" and "public chat" which Zoom has in spades.
So far, nobody suggested anything better than Zoom, and that's what we
tested, but I love facts so if there are more facts, let's hear them.
Currently, our use model is simple, where it must take into account we're
all over 75 and hence, no one person can always host the meetings:
a. Everyone has been given the Great Books' administrator email & password.
b. Anyone can start the meeting using the unique permanent meeting ID.
c. We meet at a given time so it's expected "someone" will host the
meeting.
d. Others will join the meeting, via Zoom, once someone hosts it.
How does that sound for the plan for quarantine-based Great Books meetings?
--
When people purposefully help each other on the Usenet potluck, we all win.
Arlen Holder
Mar 21, 2020, 8:12:18 AM3/21/20
to
On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 19:53:31 +0000 (UTC), Eli the Bearded wrote:
> Rent a server and install Big Blue Button on it, then you can host the
> conferences yourself with the privacy controls you want.
>
> https://docs.bigbluebutton.org/2.2/install.html
>
> Possibly you could shut the server down between uses to save money, too.
>
> Elijah
Hi Elijah,
Thanks for your suggestion because we care about:
a. Privacy
b. Functionality
c. Versatility
With this quarantine stuff going world wide, it seems that a LOT of
new-to-me (new to us) solutions will be out there to help people like us
with our regular meetings that used to be done, in person.
I hadn't heard of "Big Blue Button" before, which instantly brings up the
two obvious instant questions:
a. What is it?, and,
b. Why didn't the Wikipedia article list it?
Looking up what this open source Big Blue Button is all about...
o <https://bigbluebutton.org/>
It's "a web conferencing system designed for online learning"
You don't know this, but I often substitute teach (although, that's put on
hold given the quarantine means every teacher can time multiplex easier
now), where this "Big Blue Button" seems apropos for that purpose.
Checking out the cross-platform features...
"BigBlueButton uses a full HTML5 client for its interface.
This means the same client runs on desktop, laptop, chromebook,
and your mobile devices (iOS 12.2+ and Android 6.0+).
We recommend Chrome and FireFox as these browsers provide
the best support for webRTC."
My iOS devices are all locked to the iOS they were born with (which is iOS
10 and 11 for the most part) so I can't test this on iOS but I can test it
on Linux, Windows, and Android.
Since the Big Blue Button server must work on bare metal, our server can be
on Ubuntu 16.04 (which is our dual-boot Linux/Windows machine that is
already used to turn any iOS devices on the planet into simple read/write
USB sticks), where, interestingly, one additional requirement of the Big
Blue Button Server software apparently is:
o Port 80 is not in use by another application
I think we can work around the limitations, where it's nice to be
acquainted with this Big Blue Button server software and HTML5 client
software which the students would use.
In addition, the Big Blue Button seems to have ample setup for recordings,
where what we have been doing to date _at_ the meetings, is free offline
recording & free offline transcription of the meetings on a mobile device:
o *Privacy based free 100% offline speech-to-text recorder/transcription*
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/_Amn35T16NA>
Thank you for your added value suggestion to our overall tribal knowledge.
--
Usenet allows purposefully helpful adults to exchange useful information.
> Rent a server and install Big Blue Button on it, then you can host the
> conferences yourself with the privacy controls you want.
>
> https://docs.bigbluebutton.org/2.2/install.html
>
> Possibly you could shut the server down between uses to save money, too.
>
> Elijah
Hi Elijah,
Thanks for your suggestion because we care about:
a. Privacy
b. Functionality
c. Versatility
With this quarantine stuff going world wide, it seems that a LOT of
new-to-me (new to us) solutions will be out there to help people like us
with our regular meetings that used to be done, in person.
I hadn't heard of "Big Blue Button" before, which instantly brings up the
two obvious instant questions:
a. What is it?, and,
b. Why didn't the Wikipedia article list it?
Looking up what this open source Big Blue Button is all about...
o <https://bigbluebutton.org/>
It's "a web conferencing system designed for online learning"
You don't know this, but I often substitute teach (although, that's put on
hold given the quarantine means every teacher can time multiplex easier
now), where this "Big Blue Button" seems apropos for that purpose.
Checking out the cross-platform features...
"BigBlueButton uses a full HTML5 client for its interface.
This means the same client runs on desktop, laptop, chromebook,
and your mobile devices (iOS 12.2+ and Android 6.0+).
We recommend Chrome and FireFox as these browsers provide
the best support for webRTC."
My iOS devices are all locked to the iOS they were born with (which is iOS
10 and 11 for the most part) so I can't test this on iOS but I can test it
on Linux, Windows, and Android.
Since the Big Blue Button server must work on bare metal, our server can be
on Ubuntu 16.04 (which is our dual-boot Linux/Windows machine that is
already used to turn any iOS devices on the planet into simple read/write
USB sticks), where, interestingly, one additional requirement of the Big
Blue Button Server software apparently is:
o Port 80 is not in use by another application
I think we can work around the limitations, where it's nice to be
acquainted with this Big Blue Button server software and HTML5 client
software which the students would use.
In addition, the Big Blue Button seems to have ample setup for recordings,
where what we have been doing to date _at_ the meetings, is free offline
recording & free offline transcription of the meetings on a mobile device:
o *Privacy based free 100% offline speech-to-text recorder/transcription*
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/_Amn35T16NA>
Thank you for your added value suggestion to our overall tribal knowledge.
--
Usenet allows purposefully helpful adults to exchange useful information.
Arlen Holder
Mar 21, 2020, 5:58:20 PM3/21/20
to
On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:22:28 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:
> What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
> app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
> Books?
UPDATE:
> What is a privacy-aware cross platform free personal video-tele-conference
> app to host & join meetings of about a dozen participants discussing Great
> Books?
I only heard of Zoom yesterday, but it failed spectacularly miserably today
in longer tests of more people than just two people and the host.
*Hence Zoom will summarily be thrown out with the trash* - so we need a
actual free solution that actually works for any decent length meeting of
more than just two people and the host.
<https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362523-Why-is-my-meeting-timing-out->
<https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/202460676-Will-My-Meeting-Time-Out->
"If you are a Licensed user and join a meeting and the meeting is
hosted by a Basic user. The meeting will have a 40-minute restriction."
Given that, Zoom is worthless for our purpose.
Our desired use model isn't supported anyway.
<https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360000787483-Can-I-use-Zoom-on-multiple-devices->
"Zoom does not permit sharing accounts with multiple individuals"
The only other suggestion was Big Blue Button, but it's not a good solution
either, at least upon first inspection, due to the need for a standalone
metal-frame server.
Any other suggestion where this artificial time limit of 40 minutes is too
short, and where, oh, maybe 2 hours would be more likely a minimum time.
--
Together we can learn far more than any one of us can by doing so alone.
Arlen Holder
Dec 6, 2020, 9:30:46 AM12/6/20
to
On Fri, 20 Mar 2020 17:26:18 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:
> o ACT Conferencing
> o Adobe Acrobat Connect
> o AT Conference
> o Compunetix
> o Elluminate
> o Glance
> o Google Hangouts (although Google may be killing it in the future)
> o GoToMeeting
> o InterCall
> o Jami
> o ACT Conferencing
> o Adobe Acrobat Connect
> o AT Conference
> o Compunetix
> o Elluminate
> o Glance
> o Google Hangouts (although Google may be killing it in the future)
> o GoToMeeting
> o InterCall
> o Jitsi
> o LifeSize
> o Livestorm Meet
> o LoopUp
> o MeetingZone
> o MS Office Live Meeting
> o my Global Conference
> o Polycom
> o Premiere Global Services
> o Skype
> o TrueConf
> o Voxeet
> o WebEx
> o Zoom
Update:
> o Livestorm Meet
> o LoopUp
> o MeetingZone
> o MS Office Live Meeting
> o my Global Conference
> o Polycom
> o Premiere Global Services
> o Skype
> o TrueConf
> o Voxeet
> o WebEx
> o Zoom
See also this recent thread:
o Video call freeware?, by John C.
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.freeware/c/BxfOR-cL81A>
--
Posted out of the goodness of my heart, as most Usenet posters do.
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