An up-to-date look at free software and its makers
PROJECTS ON THE MOVE
Controlling two desktops with a single set of input devices: X2X and Synergy let the mouse cursor cross seamlessly between the desktops on two machines. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales looks to revolutionize politics with his Wikia Campaigns project. French Debian developers join forces to found Debian France, and introducing the new graphical installer for Sarge.
Most power users have at least two computers. Figure 1 shows a typical home office scenario with two displays, two keyboards, and two mice cluttering the desk. One machine might be a reliable office system while you use the other to experiment with unstable program versions, new distributions, and kernel releases. This configuration is ideal for a Linux Magazine author who regularly tries out new programs on a lab computer while recording the results on a stable system. Space on the Desk Magazine authors and other users often wish for a way to save space on the desk without sacrificing the ability to work on two computers. Virtual Network Computing (VNC), is one possible approach. A VNC server [1] – both commercial and free versions of the software are available – gives a client the ability to display and control another computer’s GUI.
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