It's Kiwithing!

Today I set up Synergy+ after my awesome roommate told me that I could run two Windows computers (each with their own display) and used a shared mouse and keyboard between the two.

That sounded like a pretty sweet idea. I thought it'd be nice if I could work on files that are on my laptop while playing games and screwing around on my desktop.

Synergy+ was something I've heard of before, but never actually had much interest in setting it up until now. Since I use both Linux and Windows, I figured that a cross-platform option would be a lot more useful. Now that I have it installed and running, I thought I'd share with you the excitement of setting up Synergy+!

What is Synergy / Synergy+?

In a nutshell, Synergy is like a KVM without the video. Synergy hasn't been updated since 2006. This is why I'm using Synergy+. It's a fork of Synergy with a ton of bugfixes and good stuff. I'm too lazy to get in depth about how it works, so just check out the following pages:

• Synergy Wikipedia Page
• Synergy+ Wikipedia Page

And now, it's time for a Tut'!

What will you need?

• Two or more computers with their own monitors. They have to be on the same local network.

• The Synergy+ program for Linux, Mac OSX, and Windows:
  http://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/

NOTE: I'm using synergy-plus-1.3.4 on Linux and Windows. The
Windows version has two flavors: Windows-x64-r1 and Windows-x86-r1. Install whichever one you need for whatever your OS might be.

NOTE: For you Linux users out there, be sure to see if Synergy+ is available in your
repos for whatever distribution you're using. There's .deb and .rpm files on the website, as well as the source code. I use Arch Linux's Archlinux User Repository (AUR), so I was just a yaourt -S synergy-plus-gui-hg away!

• The QuickSynergy GUI frontend for Mac OSX and Linux:
  http://code.google.com/p/quicksynergy/

NOTE: This is also in Arch Linux's AUR repo as quicksynergy.
There are other frontends you can use, of course, but you're on your own for that. http://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/wiki/RelatedProjects

Oh, and here's the Synergy+ User FAQ along with an explanation of how to compile Synergy (if you really, really have to).

Now that we've covered the requirements and you've (hopefully) installed Synergy+, let's get this party started!

Part 1: Da Windows Machine (AKA: Hosting 101)

I have a desktop that dual boots Windows 7 and Fedora 11. I'm usually on Windows for some reason (mainly for games), so I decided to install Synergy+ on Windows 7.

This is what I had to do:

1. Install Synergy+

2. Fire up Synergy+
This was really easy to do.

3. Set up the Host
The host computer is the one with the mouse and the keyboard you want to use across all the other ones. Since my desktop has an awesome Razer Copperhead and a sweet Saitek Eclipse keyboard attached to it, I decided to make this the host computer. To make the computer the host, all I had to do is select this:

After I did that, I clicked on Configure.

4. Configure Screens and Links
This part was a little confusing at first. First, I added both computers I wanted to share. To add computers, I clicked on the '+' sign underneath the Screens box. This popped up:

Under the Screen Name option, I put the name of my desktop. (You should do this or else you'll hate yourself.) Screen Name = Host Name of your computer. As for Aliases, I named it Windows, as you can see. You can put any name you want here.

After that, change any other options you need to (I didn't touch anything), and add all the other computers you're using the same exact way. Then you can move on to configuring the Links.

This is where things got a little tricky. This is where I had to set up the positioning of the computers. Since my laptop (to the left of my desktop monitor, I set it up to be on the left. My laptop's name is kiwi-lappy, so I set it up so that Synergy+ knows that the laptop is to the right and my desktop is to the left. I did the same thing for the rest of my computers.

5. Test / Start Connection
After you're thrown back to the inital Synergy+ dialogue, you can change any other options you need to, then click on Test. If you want, you can bypass that, because at this point everything should be peachy.
Now, let it sit and wait for a client to connect. To set up another Windows computer the same way, instead of sharing the computer's keyboard, go to 'Use another computer's shared keyboard / mouse' and enter the host name of the computer you want to connect to.

And so, it's time for...

Part 2: Da Linux (or Mac) Machine (AKA: Client Party)

The host name of my laptop is kiwi-lappy. So, using that wonderful QuickSynergy app I installed, I did the following:

1. Configure the Use tab
The Use tab is where you configure who we connect to, and the Screen Name of the client computer. All of that stuff I did in Windows is moot here. I entered the IP address of the Host computer (Kiwi-Corp-PC). Under Screen Name, I put the host name of my laptop.

Since Synergy+ was already running on my desktop, all I had to do was hit Execute and the rest was pie.

That wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, though I wish that the Windows gui was as simple as QuickSynergy.

And now, I'm flicking my mouse cursor back and forth between both screens, since I clearly have nothing else to do with my time. Whoop!

Without a doubt, hoodie weather is the best weather.

I wear hoodies throughout the year. I like how they feel, how they look, and the fact that they hide they make me look like I have a bit of meat on my bones. I also love Chicago for its ability to provide me with many days where I can enjoy the Awesome Hoodie Wearing Experience.

In the summer, they serve as a weapon against showing people my bare arms (screw t-shirts), and shields me from the sun. I know my skin is dark enough to handle the UV waves without suffering from sunburns for a long while, but I'd rather avoid the possibility of even getting it in the first place. (Maybe this is why I'm the most pale dark-skinned person I know of.)

In the fall, I feel awesome as heck with a hoodie on. I don't run the risk of overheating in it, yet I can withstand the potentially nippy breezes that occur. This creates an odd middle ground of warmth and comfort that can only be felt during this time of year. Walking around during the late afternoon, enjoying the autumn scenery, and being comfortably warm at the same time is a very blissful experience for me.

In the early / mid spring, hoodies are also pretty comfortable. There are some spring days that are pretty mild and breezy. Hoodies are required on these days, as they are the best days during the season to almost reach the high levels of the Awesome Hoodie Experience. Also, there's rain. Wearing a hoodie in light rain gives me that warm, tingly feeling that normally occurs when I'm in an extreme moment of satisfaction. However, wearing a hoodie in heavier rain (provided there is an umbrella at hand, of course) is a bit lower on the chain of nirvana inducing moments.

Winter time, on the other hand, provides me with nothing but pain and anguish! Even with the aid of a good hoodie and a coat (the trenchier, the better), I still end up getting caught in the limbo that is being too cold or too warm. Chicago winters are rather hit or miss as far as enjoyability goes. I've suffered through twenty winters, and there were some mild ones (last year), and some "Hey, I'm Wintah! I'm Freakin' Cold!" ones (like the ones I've been though during high school). Last winter, I always wore a hoodie underneath my coat, and which lead to some sweaty moments. While most people may think that sweating in the winter time is awesome, I'd have to disagree. It's a filthy feeling. Bleh.

While that's all awesome and wonderful, there is one problem I have with hoodies. Some hoodies, women's hoodies for the most part, are really thin. I've found unisex hoodies to be very durable and comfortable. There's also a vast array of awesome designs, and the hoods are usually large enough to cover me just the way I like it. However, there's been an instance where I've gotten a unisex hoodie with a design I really liked, but the hood was way too small. I mean like, reduckulously (quack) small.

But at the end of the day, hoodies are always welcome to join in on my seasonal adventures. I just wish I had a lot more of them to wear.

Defenestration Station is go!

Last night, I had the opportunity to become the leader of my very first guild or supergroup with more than one person in it! Featured are my comrades, Tizkit (left), Red Talon (middle), and Lack (right). There's also some guy called The Aviator, but I've never met him in person, nor have I seen him in game. He was needed to fill up the grouping requirement to start a supergroup, but hopefully he'll stick around.

All I need to do now is start a website for the supergroup. That most certainly needs to be done before I even start considering recruitment campaigns. Until then, the five of us will have to do.