ScreenRecycler

It works fine, but since it goes through the network, its performance is tied to how you hooked up the other Mac. Wireless might be slow. Between two Macs with Gigabit Ethernet ports and using Cat5e or better cable, performance would be better, but still nowhere near as fast as with a real video card. You may see visible redraw, delays, and lags.

One other option you might want to consider using is Synergy ( http://synergy2.sourceforge.net). It shares mouse, keyboard and clipboard input over multiple computers. I use it with my Macbook Pro and my old G5.

The benefits of the Synergy approach is that it is free. It is fast since it only shares the mouse cursor, keyboard and clipboard between computers. It 'feels' like you have an extended desktop since you can mouse over to the other machine and use the same keyboard. It is also less resource intensive (a very lightweight daemon process runs in the background). However you can not drag windows between the shared screens.

hello,
you guys were having the discussion i'm interested in!
i have just tried out the trial version of ScreenRecycler.
I am connecting a MBP (new version) with an old iMac (intel core duo 1.83GHz 10.4.11) to enable screen sharing and use the iMac as an extended screen for my MBP. I would like to use it for video editing and CAD so need fairly seamless graphics. I noticed while i was trying it that there are visible delays if you take video windows onto the remote screen (on the iMac), and redraw lags whilst using CAD.
first i tried the setup just wirelessly, and changed screen colours to thousands (as recommended by ScreenRecycler). i also have an old ethernet cable that i have just connected between the two machines.
i am not noticing any visible difference with the ethernet cable really, but i am also unsure how to tell the software to use a connection via ethernet cable, rather than a wireless one. would i need to plug the ethernet into the internet router as well?
or can i just cable the two computers together? and if so, where do i confirm that they should connect via the ethernet cable?
i am using 'Jolly FastVNC' on the iMac.
i was also advised to 'disable compression and degradation' as well as the screen colours to thousands.
does anybody know where to do this?

excuse my ignorance,

thanks very much

simeon wrote:
One other option you might want to consider using is Synergy ( http://synergy2.sourceforge.net). It shares mouse, keyboard and clipboard input over multiple computers.

That will not solve the problem as far as I know. Synergy is for using one computer to control multiple computers. ScreenRecycler is for using a second computer as an extended desktop of the first computer - completely different, and more like adding an external monitor. You are only controlling a single OS and single desktop, across two machines, without affecting input into machine #2's OS and applications at all. It is a subtle distinction but it's fundamental.

indiacita wrote:
i am using 'Jolly FastVNC' on the iMac.
i was also advised to 'disable compression and degradation' as well as the screen colours to thousands.
does anybody know where to do this?

Not sure where those are in JollyFastVNC, although I think setting the Color Depth to 16-bit in JollyFastVNC Preferences will give you Thousands of colors.