laptop and desktop make perfect team now

[Beamtracer]

Cons:
smaller footprint - Laptop is Toshiba Portege 3490CT, roughly 10" wide
A 10" laptop sounds like its keyboard is smaller than standard size. Wouldn't it be cheaper just to buy a smaller keyboard for your workstation, rather than a laptop?

stronger - laptop has magnesium alloy case
Try comparing a standard plastic keyboard and a laptop computer by dropping them, and you'll see which one is stronger.

built-in key cover - close display and cats can't trigger the keys
I've heard of cats piddling into laptops. Which one would you prefer the cat piddled into... a $40 plastic keyboard or your laptop computer?

Internet connection - I will never connect my workstation to the Net. Too risky.
That's sad, if you can't connect your workstation to the net because it's too risky. Not an optimal situation.

[lots]

I use a linux and windows machines at work.. apparently my boss wanted me to have a "production ready" windows box in case I ever need to fix anything *shrug*

Anyway I hooked up 5 monitors to the two machiens (1 on one and 4 on the other, and hey, no one else was using them :)) and use synergy to control everything from one keyboard/mouse. Works like a champ :) I suppose I could attach some laptop(s) if I REALLY wanted to.. Kinda like your set up :P But 5 monitors is enough to keep track of.. And really I only effectivly use 4...

[Derek Floyd]

Cons:

A 10" laptop sounds like its keyboard is smaller than standard size. Wouldn't it be cheaper just to buy a smaller keyboard for your workstation, rather than a laptop?


Try comparing a standard plastic keyboard and a laptop computer by dropping them, and you'll see which one is stronger.


I've heard of cats piddling into laptops. Which one would you prefer the cat piddled into... a $40 plastic keyboard or your laptop computer?


That's sad, if you can't connect your workstation to the net because it's too risky. Not an optimal situation.


I like your sense of humor. You're just as twisted as I am.

[Derek Floyd]

I use a linux and windows machines at work.. apparently my boss wanted me to have a "production ready" windows box in case I ever need to fix anything *shrug*

Anyway I hooked up 5 monitors to the two machiens (1 on one and 4 on the other, and hey, no one else was using them :)) and use synergy to control everything from one keyboard/mouse. Works like a champ :) I suppose I could attach some laptop(s) if I REALLY wanted to.. Kinda like your set up :P But 5 monitors is enough to keep track of.. And really I only effectivly use 4...

Now that gives new meaning to the term "multitasking".

[MassTA]

Somebody was better:
http://img50.imageshack.us/my.php?image=multimonitor3pu.jpg
:)

[lots]

heh yeah.. i've seen that some time ago. And if we had that many extra monitors laying around I'd try it, but I dont know what all i'd use it for :P 4 seems to be my "magic" number.

As for the laptop as a keyboard thing.. I'd have to agree, its a bit expencive to be use as such... On top of that, you can go to a surplus place and pick up the first generation IBM PS/2 keyboard for $5. Those things are indestructable. Steel casing, removable buttons, and they can take a good beating to boot. Though, I guess if the loud clicking isn't your thing.....

[Derek Floyd]

Somebody was better:
http://img50.imageshack.us/my.php?image=multimonitor3pu.jpg
:)

Whoa!

*golf claps* Bravo! Bra-vo!

[Derek Floyd]

As for the laptop as a keyboard thing.. I'd have to agree, its a bit expencive to be use as such... On top of that, you can go to a surplus place and pick up the first generation IBM PS/2 keyboard for $5. Those things are indestructable. Steel casing, removable buttons, and they can take a good beating to boot. Though, I guess if the loud clicking isn't your thing.....

I see your point about expense, but the laptop cost me less that $200 (It's a PIII 700), was something I already had months before this idea and I was going to end up spending that much just on a second LCD to view PDFs. UXGA doesn't mean a thing if most of it's taken up by Foxit PDF Reader, due to lack of a second panel. Now I have my UXGA panel and the XGA of the laptop.

The way I figure it, putting a five year old laptop to work this way has saved me more money and time than even just the display or the small keyboard. It's a firewall, a mouse, a video display (fast enough for DivX vids), and a future render farm controller (not server, status monitor).

I have a deep love of the old IBM keyboards. I hoarded fifty of them when my high school dumpstered the old computers. The durability and reliability of the keyboard was only one positive point. For me, the best was pissing my brother off. He hated the clicking and I can type faster than 100WPM if I really get moving. I credit my typing teacher in elementary school with helping me develop that talent. Thank you, Hazel Purdue, wherever you are.

Anyway, I still have a keyboard like that. It's an SGI Granite model. It's dedicated to my Indigo2 MaxImpact R10K. That used to be my Internet machine, but it's not fast enough to keep up and it makes a lot of heat so don't use it for much anymore.

Before the IBM keyboards, I had a Focus 2001. That pissed my brother off even more. What was really funny was when I was into Ham Radio and had an antenna for 2M on the top of the house. I'd key up my little HT and if I heard Rick swear from his room, I knew he was watching MTV. MTV was cable channel 18 back then, making it within the 2M band.

[lots]

Haha thats great :P

I love those IBM keyboards.. mine mysteriously disappeared though :(

[Derek Floyd]

A friend of mine still has a lot of the keyboards I rescued, I think. I haven't talked to him in years, but if I can get his number and give him a call and he's still got them, would you want one (or more, even)? The keyboards were both the with and without numeric keypad varieties.



Heh, my laptop idea just keeps turning up pleasant surprises. Because the keyboard is recessed to where the keys come up no higher than the edges of the case, I can put my SGI keyboard right on top of the open laptop and still see the entire display. The keyboard overhang doesn't touch my Wacom tablet, nor the laptop's mouse buttons.

This is just too awesome. the real bonus would be if I could get Synergy to work with my SGI. Now THAT would be killer.

[lots]

Well it does support linux.. Maybe you should check out if it supports irix :)

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