1. Features and Improvements
The new Communicator for Mac 2011 replaces the
previous Messenger for Mac 7 client. Although there is a Messenger for
Mac 8, it no longer connects to a corporate communications system such
as Lync Server 2010. Messenger 8 is used only for external IM services.
Communicator improves on many previous features and introduces some new
ones as well, as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Improvements in Communicator for Mac 2011
Feature | Messenger 7 | Communicator |
---|
Outbound/inbound audio calls from PSTN callers | Not Available | Available |
Quick access to conferences in Communicator for Mac 2011 by clicking conf: URL in a meeting request | Not Available | Available |
Calendar-based presence status, such as In a Meeting | Not Available | Available |
Presence status integrated with Office for Mac 2011 | Partial | Available |
Access to the Conversation History from the conversation window | Partial | Available |
Instant messaging (IM) | Available | Available |
Basic presence | Available | Available |
Computer-to-computer audio calls with Communicator for Mac 2011 and Office Communicator for Windows users | Available | Available |
Computer-to-computer video calls with Communicator for Mac 2011 and Office Communicator for Windows users | Available | Available |
Access to external federated users | Available | Available |
Public IM connectivity | Available | Available |
File transfer with Communicator for Mac 2011 clients | Available | Available |
Global Address List (GAL) search | Available | Available |
Integration for presence states between Communicator for Mac 2011 and Office Communicator for Windows | Available | Available |
2. Getting Around in the Client
Now that the client is installed and attached to the
Lync 2010 Server, it’s time to become familiar with the client. On the
initial screen, you can see the current status and presence
information. Presence status can be altered by clicking the
downward-facing arrow next to the large presence jellybean. Status can
be altered by clicking the text and retyping a new status. Below this
area, you can see contacts, which can be organized. In the top of the
client, you find the following six buttons:
Add
Send
Call
Video
Send file
Mail
These buttons and their functions are explained in the following sections.
Configuring Basic Options
In the Communicator client, many options can be
configured. For administrators not familiar with Macintosh operating
systems, options that are normally found in the client interface on a
PC are typically moved to the menus at the top of the screen. Although
there is a main GUI that looks like the PC client, there are also
context-based menus that appear at the top of the screen depending on
which application is currently the focus. In the case of Communicator,
these options across the top of the application include the following:
Communicator
File
Edit
View
Network
Contact
Window
Help
Clicking Communicator at the top of the menu offers
several other options, including a link to information about the
specific version of Communicator, an option to hide Communicator, an
option to quit Communicator, and most importantly the capability to
modify application preferences.
Clicking Preferences within the Communicator menu offers up the following six icons:
Appearance— This area is where the user can alter IM font choices.
General—
This area enables you to control the status behavior, to define the
Presence Service, Communications Service for Telephone, and Conference,
and to define where received files will go. You can also enable
troubleshooting logging from here.
Alerts— This area is where users can enable or disable alerts for various actions that will occur within the Communicator client.
Account—
From this area, you can change your logon information, manually
configure the Lync 2010 Server, and choose to enable or disable
integration with Exchange.
History— This area is where you can save conversations and alter the behavior of when the system will prompt you to save a conversation.
Privacy— This
area is where you can choose to block or allow various contacts. You
can also enable a notification when another user adds you as a contact
through these menu options. You can even get a consolidated view of who
added you as a contact.
Clicking File at the top of the menu gives access to
the capability to save contact lists or to import contacts from a saved
list.
Clicking Edit gives access to the usual copy, cut,
and paste but also enables you to access special characters and to set
spelling options.
Clicking View enables you to quickly move to the
Contact List or to the Conversation History. You can also modify the
Toolbar from here and enable or disable Search.
Clicking Network enables you to sign out, change the status, and view recent alerts.
Clicking Contact gives the following options:
Clicking Window gives you the option to minimize, zoom, or bring the Communicator window to the forefront.
Clicking Help gives quick access to Search and offers links ranging from checking for updates to visiting the product website.
Managing Contacts
Most people have grown accustomed to the behaviors
in Outlook where you can quickly look up a user in the contacts or by
starting to type the person’s name. Microsoft Communicator
client follows this model by organizing contacts by groups and by
allowing you to quickly search for contacts by typing the person’s name.
For example, on the search line (indicated by a
magnifying glass), if you type a name, the client will suggest names
based on the contacts. From here, click and drag the contact to add the
contact to a contact group. When this occurs, the person you added will
receive a notification that you added him and have the option to add
you as well. Once added, the contacts appear in the group you selected
and you are able to see the presence information at any time.
After a contact is added, he can be moved from one
contact group to another by clicking and dragging the contact from one
group to another. By holding the mouse over the name of the contact,
you can see the notes he has set in his client as well as his picture,
as shown in Figure 1.
Managing Groups
The Microsoft Communicator client enables users to
organize their contacts by placing them inside groups. By default, the
group is Other Contacts.
On the Contact menu at the top of the screen, you
can click Add a Group. When this is clicked, a new group called New
Group displays. This can be renamed to anything of the user’s choosing.
These groups show a status of how many contacts
there are in that group and how many are currently online. For example,
you might see Other Contacts (4/5) to indicate that four of the five
contacts in that group are online. You can expand the group by clicking
the hollow triangle to the left of the name to populate the full list
of contacts.
From the Contact menu, you can also choose to
automatically group offline contacts together. This results in the
creation of a group called Not Online. Contacts automatically move to
this container when they are offline. Contacts can be dragged back and
forth between groups, but can exist in only one group at a time. Groups
can be deleted or renamed with the Contacts menu functions.
A convenient use of groups is to organize members of
a project or department. By right-clicking the group name, you can
choose to launch a conference call that will invite all members of that
group. Similar functionality can be achieved by selecting multiple contacts
by control-clicking them and then right-clicking to choose Start a
Conference Call. This call can use Lync’s PC-to-PC call features or
through the phone system.
Note
In the Communicator client, contacts always appear in alphabetic order.