neux shakin' it like a digital picture

NERD ALERT: This post is only interesting to techy nerds.

While I worked at Echospace way back in the day someone named Jonathan from Imprev (another company I eventually worked for) introduced me to some freeware called Synergy. This software allows you to use one keyboard and one mouse on multiple computers. I know what you’re thinking, that’s what KVM (Keyboard/Video/Mouse) switches are for. Nope, this is different. With a KVM you have multiple computers, one keyboard, one mouse, one monitor and the KVM switch. Synergy doesn’t require a clunky KVM switch and uses one or more monitors per computer.

Here is one example, my setup at M$. I have two computers. One runs Windows XP and the other runs Windows Media Center. I have two 19" LCDs attached to my main work box (PC1) for sweet dual monitor action and one gigantor CRT hella craptastic monitor attached to my Media Center box (PC2) for testing. If I had a KVM, I’d only be able to see the screen of one computer at a time. In this situation I need to see both my main PC and Media Center PCs at the same time, so a KVM doesn’t work well for me, plus I don’t like having to switch from one computer and back via KVM (Jetson laziness). Using Synergy I essentially make PC2 attached to PC1 and it acts like a 3rd monitor. I set it up so that when my mouse reaches the right side of my screen on PC1 the mouse and keyboard then work on PC2. No buttons to press to switch.

Not sold on Synergy over KVM yet? How about this… basic text copy and paste work between the multiple computers AND it works across multiple operating systems. When I did some contract work for Classmates.com I had two computers as well. One Windows 2000, one Fedora Core Linux. I used Synergy to go between them seamlessly. Works with MacOS as well. Im telling you, it’s pimp!

So here is where to get it:

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

Sean.

PS I think KVMs are good too, but they have their own place. The right tool for the right job.