Using Multiplicity in a Home Office
One PC is just not enough
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 by Island Dog | Discussion: Personal Computing
I recently spent the entire weekend building myself a new home office. I previously had a small, cheap computer desk from one of the big office supply chains, and it just wasn't efficient for doing actual work. So I went and bought a nice new glass/metal desk, a few accessories, and went to work. I spent several hours carefully bundling and running wires, and making them nice and neat with wire ties. I think I actually did a pretty good job of concealing most of the wires, and making any visible ones appear organized.
Now in the next 2 or 3 weeks I need to purchase another computer and monitor. Space is a big problem because well.....I don't have that much left. So that also brings me to the next decision of what type of computer I have buy. That's a whole other article in itself, so I won't get much into that. However, I still have to plan ahead before I buy. Another computer means another box, another monitor, another keyboard, and another mouse. Or does it?
The last thing I want is more clutter and mess, so I found a solution that will fix some of that problem. I can use Stardocks Multiplicity, and can eliminate the need for another keyboard and mouse on my desk. I will be able to work with my primary and secondary computers as though they are one unit. I have been using this with a laptop until I get my new computer, and I have found it to be an invaluable asset to my desktop. Some of the benefits of running Multiplicity on my desktop are:
- Having dual monitors on my desktop, but each will have it's own dedicated PC without the need for another keyboard/mouse combo.
- Clipboard sharing between my computers, and Multiplicity Pro can copy files and directories from one machine to another.
- It now supports Windows Vista, so I can have my new machine running Vista and my current one running XP.
- The OS X client for Multiplicity is being developed, so I will be able to control my Macs also.
- I can play a game on one system, and work with Office or Photoshop on the other, while chatting on IRC on another.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who uses multiple computers, and for anyone looking to save a little space in your work area. You can view a comparison chart and download a trial version to try for yourself at the link below.
Reply #2 Tuesday, November 7, 2006 9:16 PM
Reply #3 Tuesday, November 7, 2006 9:31 PM
W00t! Good article Island_Dog!
And yes, UBob is correct, there are still some situations where a remote desktop would be necessary - such as in the case where 2 computers were in separate rooms. Additionally, Multiplicity isn't a replacement for a KVM switch in a situation where you have multiple computers but only one monitor. However, as someone with a laptop that I carry between my work desktop and my home desktop, I LOVE Multiplicity!!
Reply #4 Tuesday, November 7, 2006 9:44 PM
| Multiplicity works best with a number of computer/monitor combinations in close proximity to one another where each computer's monitor can easily be seen and read from one position. |
I recall Brad (Frogboy) talking about how he went on quests in Warcraft (I think) with his son this way... I thought it was an excellent way to spend time together!
Reply #5 Tuesday, November 7, 2006 10:02 PM
Reply #6 Thursday, November 9, 2006 9:21 PM
Reply #7 Thursday, November 9, 2006 10:19 PM
For what it's worth, I've bee a MP tester since the first alpha was out. It has become rock stable. The copy and paste function has saved me a ton of time (I use a TabletPC to travle with and desktop to do heavy lifting).
Other the the feature set and stability, the support has been great. Bugs I've found were fixed in a reasonable amout of time with good feedback from Stardock.
I tried synergy once and never got it to work. YMMV.
Reply #8 Thursday, November 9, 2006 10:33 PM
Reply #9 Friday, November 10, 2006 5:09 AM
Glad to hear it has improved. I didn't see it getting updated in the Stardock Central application at all, but that may just be because it was not a purchased product for me, since I see my Object Desktop subscribed programs updating regularly enough.
I'll download the new trial and see if it performs better than the earlier release did (v1.0 was a bit quirky on my setup). Though I will be unable to test the cut/paste functionality with the trial it appears.
Again, thank you both for your help.
Reply #10 Friday, November 10, 2006 7:28 AM
Reply #11 Saturday, November 18, 2006 8:59 AM
Reply #12 Saturday, November 18, 2006 9:22 AM
Here is some information from the product guide page that might help you out.
https://www.stardock.com/products/multiplicity/infoguide.asp
Q: What are the system requirements for Multiplicity?
A TCP/IP network connection between the machines is also required. This could be through a switch or cable/DSL/wireless router (like you might have at home) or even a Firewire connection between machines.
Q: How exactly does Multiplicity work?
A: It works by talking through your internal LAN/Firewire network to machines that have the client. You then set up the "location" of the client machines monitors just as you would on a multi-monitor system. When you move your mouse off the edge of one monitor, Multiplicity then takes control of the computer the mouse "moves" onto.
Reply #13 Sunday, November 19, 2006 5:28 AM
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
Reply #1 Tuesday, November 7, 2006 7:38 PM