14 DAY TRIAL // If you tried at least once to help one of your parents to use the computer through the phone or even IM or email, I am sure you had some trouble in accomplishing your goal, if you managed to help them solve their problems. Unfortunately, I had such a phone assistance session with my mother one of the past weeks, and I was really near to throw my phone off the window, but it worked out in the end.
In such situations, all you wish is to get access to that remote computer and spend 1 minute to solve the problem, instead of 30 minutes or more trying to explain basic things to computer illiterates. A solution for helping you get this task done comes from Fog Creek Software, and its name is Copilot. Its last version, 2.0, has become finally available for Mac users too, supporting all Mac OS X versions starting with 10.2.
Fog Creek Copilot features Direct Connect, but version 2 does more than just connecting you with your partner in any situation, no matter the NATs and firewalls that are in place. Now, the program sets up the initial connection using dedicated servers, and then looks for the best way to establish a direct connection, and if this is not possible, it keeps using the server.
The ability to transfer files makes it much easier to upload software kits to your friends and family and set up their computers the right way, being an excellent addition for people that provide tech support to others, even in a commercial environment.
Copilot supports Safari and Firefox, and no configuration is required. The pricing is based on the time you use this service, and for 5$ you can get 24 hours of unlimited access, but additional subscription plans are also available.