![]() Synergy is free and open source software that lets you control multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse, using your home network. The program does not add a starter to the application menu, so you have to launch Barrier manually ( Listing 1, Line 5).If you have more than one computer sitting on your desk, and don’t want extra mice and keyboards cluttering up your workspace, take a look at Synergy. On Ubuntu (tested with Ubuntu 18.04 and 18.10), you need to install Flatpak, load the software repository and the KDE repository, and then set up Barrier as the final step ( Listing 1). In Gnome, for example, you can switch using the login manager's gear menu.įor your initial tests on Linux, you might prefer to use Flatpak to install Barrier on your system. If you are working with a desktop that uses Wayland, you will need to switch to a traditional X11 desktop. These problems have been reported on the project's bug tracker, but so far no developer has been found to take on the task. Just like Synergy, and other remote desktop solutions such as TeamViewer, Barrier has difficulties with the Wayland graphics environment. ![]() In practice, however, the Linux package's hard-wired dependency on Qt 5.12 poses a hurdle: Even Ubuntu 18.10 still relies on Qt 5.11.1, which means you'll need to upgrade to Qt 5.12 to use Barrier. You'll find an installer for Windows, a DMG package for Mac OS X, and statically built versions for Linux and FreeBSD. Users of other platforms will want to access the binaries provided on the project wiki. ![]() Our practical test of the application also took place under Arch. With the help of an AUR helper – currently Yay is recommended – Barrier can be installed on Arch with little effort. Only Arch Linux has a recipe for building the program in the Arch User Repository (AUR). The goal of the Barrier developers is to catch up with capabilities of Synergy 1.9 (the original has now reached version 1.10.1) and to offer a simple and reliable solution for controlling multiple computers.īarrier is not found in the package sources for most major distributions. Barrier is supported by a community that provides setups and binaries for users. The Barrier program, which is licensed under the GPL, is a fork based on the Synergy source code. If you're looking for a free solution, Barrier is an interesting alternative to Synergy (see box entitled "A Look Back"). Many Linux users are familiar with Synergy, a commercial, software-based device sharing tool that is available for $29-$39. More recently, users have turned to less expensive software solutions. KVM switches (the acronym stands for Keyboard/Video/Mouse) make it possible to use two or more computers with a single set of input and output devices. Hardware solutions for sharing devices have existed for years. Two complete systems means not just two monitors but also two keyboards and two mice. One of the biggest irritations about running two desktop computers is the clutter of all the devices. Software developers, sys admins, graphic artists, and documentation specialists all still face scenarios where it still makes sense to put two computers on the same desk. For instance, you might want to run a Windows and a Linux system side by side without contending with the complications of virtualization. In some cases, what you really need is two separate computers. However, a two-monitor configuration is not always the right solution for the task. Attaching two monitors to the same computer offers some very significant benefits for a user who works on a computer all day.
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