If you are one to use many screens at work or at your workstation at home then you are probably aware of Synergy. After all, it is the most voted Mouse and Keyboard sharing software on Slant.
Synergy is a cross-platform app that lets you share your mouse and keyboard across multiple computers as if they are one – thereby providing a single cohesive user experience.
Watch how synergy works in the following video.
It is mostly used by:
- Programmers who conveniently separate lines of code and analytics into different screens for easier comprehension.
- Professional gamers – especially for online and multiplayer games.
- MRI technicians who would typically have a hard time at work trying to see all the information they need to give a diagnosis on a single screen.
- System admins who are always running background applications and security protocols.
The list of Synergy users goes on. And so far, the company has been able to get some of the big cooperations on their side including Amazon, Google, Intel, Disney, Pixar, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, Dell, and EMC.
Features in Synergy
- Cross-Platform: Use Synergy seamlessly whether you’re on a Mac, Windows, or Linux PC.
- Paid Service: Minimum fee of $19 with live time access to Synergy 1.
- Synchronize: Share your clipboard across computers.
- Secure: Encryption is enable in the pro package.
- Convenient: Use drag and drop to move files around on Windows and macOS.
- Network-based (IP) software KVM switch (non-video).
- Auto-configured IP addresses.
Synergy is not a free application and is available in 3 packages: Basic, Pro, and Enterprise.
The Basic and Pro packages are available at a one-time fee of $19 and $29 respectively. While the Enterprise package is available as an annual subscription for which you will have to contact Synergy to get your quote.
See the difference in features and more information on the website’s Pricing page.
You don’t need to be a professional programmer, gamer, or system admin to use Synergy. If it provides a service that you need and can afford, then go for it. Sadly, there isn’t any trial so you would just have to turn to videos to see how it works.
Are you a Synergy user? Or do you know about an alternative that is just as efficient? Perhaps an open source one? Add your contributions in the comments box below.
I am a little late to the game on this one but you can compile Synergy from source if you aren’t in a position to fork out the $. Of course, you won’t get service going that route. I compiled it, used it and found it useful enough to warrant purchase. Now I am able to set it up on any machine without hassle.
It is available in the Ubuntu repositories, as well and it works well among my Ubuntu/Ubuntu-based systems. The paid version works with openSUSE and Arch, as well as Ubuntu and the customer services couldn’t be better. They let me get a Windows version for no extra charge. Now all of my computers are happy campers. Well, almost. Windows wishes it was Linux I think because it sure is trying to get in bed.
Synergy is great because I use several systems and being able to share the mouse and keyboard among them has proven incredibly handy. It also cut down on some clutter.
My issue with most apps is that they usually work better on other platforms. Synergy does a good job of not sharing this issue so that’s cool. And while I don’t have use for Synergy until I can afford to run multiple systems at once, I can only imagine how advanced similar apps would have gotten by then.
Still have their last free binary releases somewhere in my archives. Haven’t had a need or want for it since going full-time Linux.
Hehe alright then. Let’s see how things go
I use it once, a while ago there was a free version of one of their oldest versions, even though it worked fine with my linux-mac laptops combination, whenever i set linux as the main keyboard, pressing the space bar resulted in printing an s or any weird character instead of the actual space ” “. Didnt have the same problem when setting the mac as primary though. Hopefully the paid version doesn’t have that same problem
There have been several improvements since I covered Synergy so maybe you should check it out again