No-borders mouse runs across screens
September 13, 2011 by Nancy Owano 
(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft has announced a free download that lets you work your mouse to navigate across multiple PCs. Mouse Without Borders is the name of the program and it is drawing positive reviews from first-time users taking it on a test drive. They like the program's ease of use in navigating multiple computers on the desk with a single mouse and keyboard, as if the machines were simply multiple displays of the same system.
The program lets a user copy and paste from one computer to the next; drag and drop files from one machine to the next; log in to all the PCs on the desk at once and lock all the connected PCs at once.
Up to four PCs can sync up into one unit.
This video is not supported by your browser at this time.
The free program is a 1.1 MB download and no additional hardware is required. What is required is that all the computers involved be on the same local network. You install Mouse Without Borders on the first PC. You are given a security key and then you key in the information into the other PCs, and you have them linked. You can move the keyboard and mouse across the computers.As any open source developer can attest, Microsoft is not known for giving away its software free but this new application is the product of "The Garage" which is both a physical place in Building 4 at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters and a company program. The Garage welcomes sandbox tinkering and project incubations by employees outside their regular working hours.
Mouse Without Borders easily won attention inhouse and it was decided to download the app to the public. The video shows developer Truong Do as the creator. Truong Do, when not at the Garage, works for Microsoft Dynamics, the ERP and CRM line of applications designed to work with other Microsoft software.
The Garage and its science fairs within Microsoft helped expose the project to 9,000 people before it was ready for external release as a free download. According to reports, they subjected the app to rigorous tests to ensure they could bring it to the public bug-free.
Truong had been looking for an easier way to cope with different mouse and keyboard configurations for each PC in the office, so he devised his own solution.
"The project is testament to the power of The Garage which helped Truong develop the user interface and set up the usability tests that have helped the tool become very accessible and easy to use," said Steve Clayton of TechNet.
This is not the first time, though, for an application such as this. Open-source Synergy has a following, as a program that enables a user to share mouse and keyboard between multiple computers. Unlike Windows-only Mouse Without Borders, Synergy is supported on Windows, OS X and Linux.
© 2011 PhysOrg.com
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
32 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
31 comments
-
SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update),
4 comments
-
Need a rigid insulation material???
17 hours ago
-
magnets or EMF in car bumpers to protect from fender bender
May 26, 2012
-
length of wire in a coil of known dimensions?
May 25, 2012
-
India Engineering Powerhouse
May 25, 2012
-
electromagnet core dereference between hard and soft iron
May 25, 2012
-
Measuring water pressure in an open tank
May 24, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
More news stories
Browser wars flare in mobile space
The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet.
9 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
3
Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected: study
Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 22, 2012 |
3.6 / 5 (22) |
56
|
SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
May 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
13
|
HyperSolar shows dirty water no barrier to power world
(Phys.org) -- The Santa Barbara, California, company, HyperSolar, is set to transparently share the ups and downs of its research experiences toward the company’s ultimate vision, successfully producing ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 24, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
17
|
Tesla to launch electric sedan in US on June 22
Tesla Motors said Tuesday it would begin deliveries of "the world's first premium electric sedan" on June 22, slightly ahead of schedule.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 22, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (12) |
18
Land and sea species differ in climate change response: study
(Phys.org) -- Marine and terrestrial species will likely differ in their responses to climate warming, new research by Simon Fraser University and Australia’s University of Tasmania has found.
Almost half of new vets seek disability
(AP) -- America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...
T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows
By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...
Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture
When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.
Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study
At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (4)
And Synergy has been out for 8 or 9 years.
As a journalist couldn't you tell the story about how Truong has stolen this idea and pretended to be innovative?
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
And gave it away for free, yes...
Haters gonna hate.
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
http://xkcd.com/949/
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
FWIW, the CAD program --And my project-- became abandon-ware when 64-bit came along: The new core-code was not back-compatible with prior files...
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sean Stirling
Sep 13, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Sep 14, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
No one said it was new or innovative... I don't know how that means it isn't worth the download time... It's a nice free feature that you couldn't get for free before on a Windows OS without stealing.
People need to understand that being so transparently for or against a certain company (fanboy) makes them look like f*ggots to normal rational people.
Sep 15, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
At least open up google and try searching for what people have mentioned before making such heinous assumptions, since your too lazy to do that I'll help you: synergy-foss.org is synergy's official website. Doesn't cost you anything to use, works on Windows, Linux, and Mac.
This is exactly what you did by lumping everyone that mentioned synergy in with thieves. Get some perspective !
Sep 16, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
The point is, you're all bitching about Microsoft giving away a nice new app for free solely because you blindly hate Microsoft because it's the popular thing to do, which is juvenile.
FYI I hate all fanboys and anti-fanboys equally, including people for or against Apple.