Tech Stuff: Control multiple computers with a single keyboard-mouse

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If you have multiple computers and would like to control them all with a single keyboard-mouse combo, it's easy to do. Use "Synergy."



This doesn't require a KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) switch as it did in former days. In fact, the cool thing about Synergy is that you're not screen sharing. Each machine has its own separate display, and it can even have its own mouse and keyboard. But your main mouse and keyboard, when you move the mouse over to the new display, now controls the other machine. What's cool about this is that it works across platforms. For example, I have a Mac for my main machine, and a Windows 7 laptop sitting on the left-hand side. With Synergy running on both machines, I just move my mouse to the left until it comes onto the Win 7 laptop screen and then I can type and use it as though I were really connected there locally. It makes controlling multiple machines a snap.

Synergy is available here for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc. It's free.
I like to share what I learn, and I like to learn from others.

Comments

Kevin Fenn said…
I've been using Synergy now for almost 2 years here at work. It's awesome. Except when I disconnect my Mac and then reconnect it, I always have to restart the server on my windows box and then reconnect on my Mac. Small inconvenience though.
May 31, 2011 at 7:28 AM
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