I do quite a bit of Crystal Reports consulting by phone. I find that making a remote connection to my customer’s PC is rarely needed, but is sometimes helpful. So I did some research on current options for desktop sharing.

My current favorite is Crossloop. It is a free program that any two people can download and install. Within a few minutes either user can take control of the other’s PC.

No registration is required, it has no adware/spyware, no time limits, it is secure and free. All session traffic is encrypted end-to-end. The person whose PC is being shared has to initiate the connection by giving the user a random 12 digit key generated by the program. When the remote user attempts to connect, the host must also allow the connection at that point. Once allowed, the remote user has shared control of the desktop host desktop.

Or, if you like Webex you might also look at the new AOL/Webex collaboration called AIM Pro. It includes free 2-person Webex sessions and several other nice features.

Often subreports are used in Crystal Reports to retrieve an unrelated value from a different table or data source. In many of these cases you do not want to see the subreport at all. You just want to retrieve your value and use it. You soon realize, however, that if you suppress the subreport object, or if you suppress the section that contains the subreport, the subreport will simply not run.

To make a subreport run but be completely invisible you suppress Continue Reading »
The Stealth Subreport

I just found this link in the past week and I wish I had found it long ago.

I have been impressed several times, just in the past month, by free software. I know that there is plenty of bad ‘free’ software that contains advertising, spyware or even worse junk. It takes time to sort the good from the bad. So when I found a site dedicated to evaluating and comparing these products, I couldn’t resist. Continue Reading »
Best FREE utilities recommended by Ian “Gizmo” Richards

Craig’s list is an example of how the Internet can change the way business is done. It is a totally free classified’s service that is set up by geographical region, so it works well for listings where geography is an important factor – like selling furniture, jobs or used cars. I knew about Craig’s List but hadn’t given it much thought until my daughter was born last Fall. She didn’t sleep well as an infant and I wanted to find an overnight nanny who could help my wife during one of my short business trips. Continue Reading »
Craigs List (free regional classifieds)

This isn’t strictly a Crystal topic, but something many of you may find useful. I have recently tried 2 services that allow me to receive faxes via Email. This is a big help when I am on the road. Continue Reading »
Receiving and sending faxes without a fax machine