Synergy

A few weeks ago I decided to upgrade/change computers. I've had a machine built for a while with a slightly faster CPU but I haven't been using it. I finally made the switch and copied all of my stuff over to it and began to install the programs I need. After I got it setup I began to be fairly disappointed. Not only did it not seem any faster than my old computer, but it was a LOT less stable. Itunes and Firefox crashed all the time and then thing would just reboot on its own every few days. I decided to go back to the older machine.

Then I remembered a product called Synergy. Synergy is an open-source program that allows you to control two separate computers with a single keyboard and mouse. The other night I finally got around to setting it up. It works really well. I now have the old computer and the new computer (each with a monitor) next to each other on my desk but controlled by just one keyboard and mouse. It was a little tricky to get started but once I got it setup properly, it works like a dream. I probably still need to redo both computers to improve speed and stability and I need to find a way to have both feed audio to my stereo but right now I'm very happy with the setup.