Hi all,
Another Yuuguu developer here. I can see how Yuuguu is going to cause some problems in environments where communication needs to be controlled. It is designed to make communication easy for people with little IT knowledge.
We're going to take a look into how you might block Yuuguu as soon as we can, but I thought I would share some technical tips with you about how it works. It might be enough to get you started.
You are correct in that the desktop application runs inside Java. But it still talks to our servers over the internet using standard protocols.
If you block access to our messaging servers, you kill Yuuguu. The desktop application could still be executed, but it wouldn't do anything. You couldn't even get past the 'login ... connecting' screen. Students would quickly get the message that the party was over.
Yuuguu basically does two things as far as you are concerned:
1. Instant Messaging
2. Screen Sharing and remote control of mouse/keyboard
The instant messaging uses the industry standard XMPP protocol, but we send it over port 443 SSL to keep comms secure. I guess this will make blocking at the XMPP protocol or port level impractical. We connect to a DNS address of xmpp.yuuguu.comwhich load balances our messaging servers, and so a block to this I reckon would work.
Once you stop XMPP traffic, you not only stop instant messaging, but you also stop our control protocol which manages sharing screens and remote control. This means that screen sharing could not be started. You would not need to block our screen share data traffic, as the process could never be initiated.
We don't build administration type features into the product by design intent. It's primary intent is to allow teams who normally collaborate together to do so over the web. It is also designed to be very easy to use for non-technical people. Sadly, both of these design goals conflict rather strongly with locking down a network as an admin. It is perhaps no surprise - and to their credit - that students have found this to be the case.
I haven't tried blocking xmpp.yuuguu.com myself yet, but I would suggest it is worth a go.
As an aside, I thought it was a very interesting statement made about wanting to encourage human interaction, and how to behave in meetings, how to read body language etc. I think that is very worthwhile indeed. I personally was not helped one iota with that at school, and entered the world of adult work basically half functional. School in the UK in the 1980s didn't seem to relate to the fact that in a few years you would go to a place of work, typically, and have little further day to day use for geography and latin, et. al. Things do seem better for my nine year old girl! Anything to redress this balance would be hugely welcome. As to how Yuuguu relates to that, I think it is a separate concept. Once you *can* relate in the real world, you find it is sometimes expedient to do so over the internet instead. A half-world plane trip to review a document, say thank you and 'I accept' isn't really the way forward anymore. That said, Yuuguu staff meet up face to face regularly; it's just that when we do, we make sure it is for more 'human' and relationship-developing activities than such mundane tasks.
Hope this helps.
I'll try and get back with a 'proper' answer if this guess doesn;t work,
Al. Yuuguu Dev.
