OK, continuing the trend of recommendations I have asked for lately:
Now, I'm looking for the best solution for video conferencing, with some kind of desktop sharing feature included.
I like to avoid cloud-based services. I'd rather run the application from one or both computers (server+client, or just two clients). There are only two parties involved, so two computers. One is a PC, one is Mac. Also, I don't want to have to pay a monthly fee if it can be avoided. I'd like freeware, but good shareware will also be considered, especially if it is really nice.
I'd like to be able to see video and hear audio (hence, video conferencing). But I also want to have some kind of whiteboard and/or a desktop sharing feature where I can open a screen or file on my computer and point to things with my mouse, and have my friend see all that on his computer. A whiteboard would be nice if I want to sketch something out. I have a Wacom tablet, so I'm already setup for the digital pen interface.
Again, I hate the cloud, monthly charge services, so I'd like to avoid that as much as possible.
I've researched a little already, and the best solution I've seen so far is Skype. I haven't tried it yet, maybe I'll try it tonight. If anyone has it and would offer to let me try it out with them on the other end, I'd be thankful for that. Mac/PC cross-platform is a must. Simplicity is preferred, my friend is not a computer poweruser.
As usual, I'm not simply asking for what options are available. I'm more interested in the ones that YOU prefer and hopefully you have had good experiences with. I know how to use Google and search for things. Please help point me down the right path. Thanks, as always!