Synergy
Free.99 (that's right you heard me, freeware)
S
ynergy [n]: The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. This is exactly the outcome you get when using Synergy. Let's say you have two separate computers, with 2 separate monitors, like a docked laptop, and desktop at work. I assume it gets tiring to switch from one pc to the next, just to get work done. I know you must be thinking there has to be a better way to do this, and you are right, enter Synergy. Synergy will allow you to use 1 keyboard and 1 mouse to control 2 - too many separate systems. Granted it takes a little work to configure, but the functionality is great. Considering this is freeware, I will let that cumbersome configuration slide a bit.
Features
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ynergy has some cool features, especially for free software. When you press scroll lock it will not allow you to leave the current screen you are on, this is a great feature for all the gamers out there. You can also copy text from one system, and paste another system. You can establish many systems to be controlled through one keyboard and mouse. You can tell Synergy the placement of each system top to bottom, left to right, or any other combination. If you have 4 systems, one top left, one bottom left, one top right, and one bottom right, you can establish what system the mouse and keyboard transfers to as you move the mouse beyond the threshold (the edges) of each monitor. Best of all it is fast, and has a small thumbprint, about 2 Megabytes. Another cool thing Synergy will do is allow you to have all screen savers start at the same time. This is cool, if you are into the whole lava lamp thing. Lastly they do make it for Linux, Mac, and Windows, handy for developers who want to switch from OS to OS seamlessly.
What It Will Not Do
E
ven though this piece of software is great, it does have its limitations. You can not have Synergy control multiple systems with one monitor, but then again that would defeat the whole purpose of KVM switches. You also, can not use the copy and paste feature for transferring software to another system, and considering you already have a network setup to get Synergy to work, you shouldn't need that either. You can not have Synergy connect to a system on a different network, but with a little work, you can put each system on both networks and continue using Synergy. (Disclaimer: If you want to try this, TTR is not responsible for any hair loss or PC's that get kicked, or thrown out the window while trying to set this up.)
Total Tech Review's Final Thoughts
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ynergy is a cool piece of software, we love the fact that it is free and small. We think it has its place in technology. They could improve on making set-up a little easier, maybe even add a set-up wizard. All and all we gave Synergy a rating of 4, with a little time learning how to set-up Synergy (15 minutes or so) you will have a much better solution for managing multiple systems.