The Coworker's computer and terminal

Watch the computer a Coworker is using in a conversation, take over its browser, and open a terminal on it.

For: Chat users; the terminal is for a Coworker's Supervisor and administrators · Last updated

When a Coworker needs a computer to do its work in a conversation, you can watch it, use its browser yourself, and, if you are its Supervisor or an administrator, open a terminal on it.

Watch the computer#

Each conversation has its own computer, so the computer in one thread is separate from the one in another thread with the same Coworker. The Coworker's computer appears in the first section of the context pane, titled with the Coworker's name followed by 's Computer. The section shows one of these:

  • A picture of the screen, refreshed about every ten seconds and again whenever the Coworker finishes a command.
  • "...'s computer is starting up." while it starts.
  • "... isn't using a computer in this conversation." when there is none.

If the computer is busy, the picture reads "Busy right now — showing the last picture taken." and catches up shortly.

Take over the browser#

  1. Point at the picture and select Open.
  2. The chat is replaced by the live desktop. The top bar reads "You're using" the Coworker's name followed by "'s computer." and says the Coworker can work there at the same time.
  3. Use your mouse and keyboard as you would on any computer.
  4. Select ← Back to chat to return to the conversation. Leaving the view ends your session.

While the live desktop is open the message box is hidden, so you do not give the Coworker instructions and drive the browser at the same time. Switching to another thread also closes the live desktop.

If the connection ends, the bar says the computer closed the connection or dropped, and Try again appears. If every computer is in use, it says the computer "is busy right now." and Try again waits a few seconds before reconnecting.

Who can see and use the computer#

You can see and take over a conversation's computer only in a conversation you own, and only for a Coworker you are allowed to view: you must be allowed to open the Coworker's details page under its phase rules (Interview is Supervisor and administrators only; Internship and Apprenticeship are for the Supervisor, administrators and cohort members; Full-Time follows any Team scope). A retired (Sunset) Coworker has no computer to open.

Open a terminal#

The terminal is a live command line on the Coworker's computer. It is on the Coworker's details page, not in the chat.

  1. Open the Coworker's details page.
  2. In the VM Terminal card, select Connect to terminal. The card reads "Opens a live shell on" the Coworker's name "'s computer."
  3. The terminal opens full screen with the bar "Terminal on" the Coworker's name "'s computer." The status line reads Connecting…, then Connected.
  4. Select ← Back to followed by the Coworker's name to close it.

If the connection closes, the status line reads "Disconnected." or, when there is a reason, "Disconnected:" followed by the reason.

The VM Terminal card appears only for the Coworker's Supervisor and for administrators, and only while the Coworker has not been retired. Nobody else sees it, and the terminal does not open for anyone else.