I moved the opposite way and got rid of my mouse for my desktop computer, so everything (except 3D work that is done with a drawing tablet) is done with the keyboard. Web browsing was the hardest to start doing without a mouse...
Not OP, but I use 2 mice. I use a KVM, but have one dedicated monitor for my work computer so it's always visible (and 2 shared amongst other machines). So I have 1 mouse on the KVM, and one on my work computer so I usually don't have to switch out of my non-work session to deal with something that pops up on the work machine. Also have a programmable usb 10-key with some canned responses. And, no, I can't remote into the work machine from the personal machines (regulated industry).
I use a small USB switcher box to let me control my personal machine and my work machine at the same desk. I also use a keyboard that lets me flip a switch to change between Mac/Windows layouts. It has been very helpful to let me cleanly separate work from leisure, without having to give up the ergonomics of my desk setup. The friction to switch is low enough that I don't feel tempted to keep work related stuff on my personal machine.
I used to have dual monitors, but now I use a super ultrawide 32:9 monitor. It required learning to use window managers since most OS's don't support multitasking setups like that, but I can use layouts now that I couldn't before. I also use PaperWM[1] with it and it feels particularly effective on ultrawides.
Any advice on the USB switcher? I've had a hard time finding one that was of high enough quality to be a daily driver. I need USB3 for my webcam as well
It's solid, boring, and works perfectly. I've never had a single problem with it, even with my X570 chipset constantly doing the old USB disconnect-a-roo that it's infamous for.
Came to the thread to post this in case it wasn’t posted. Quite a ton of actual utility from a small noname box from Amazon for my same-displays-but-different-sources setup (Mac mini for work, PC for gaming).
I use a 4-computer USB switch; it has 3 device inputs. So I can switch keyboard, trackball, and a vertical mouse between 4 computers at one desk. Pretty handy. Work laptop, personal/gaming laptop, linux laptop, and desktop/server.
With 2 monitors, I use one monitor exclusively with the linux laptop, and the other monitor I have on a HDMI switch to switch between the other 3 computers.
I use Microsoft Garage Mouse Without Borders[1] to control my old and new PC with one mouse/keyboard. Works over WiFi flawlessly for me. All you have to do is move the mouse cursor towards the monitor with the other computer(s) and it automatically switches.
I love this tool - back at Uni, I discovered the lab PCs allowed me to use my Active Directory account on multiple machines simultaneously. I'd push 3 machines together, grab Mouse Without Borders from my student drive, open my online IDE (Cloud9) and wham, instant triple monitor setup.
Yeah. It's not the greatest but KVM switches with video support drive up the cost quite a lot. I'll gladly press an extra button to switch the monitor input.
Oh yeah I have one of those no name brand USB switching hubs, they are great. Comes with several "illegal" USB-A male to male cables, which I find funny. If your monitor supports it you can also switch inputs from software, and you have a complete KVM setup without the ridiculously expensive KVM box.
Did you know that some monitors have built-in KVM nowadays? I discovered that recently and switched to one. Basically I can connect my laptop with a single USB-C cable for display/charging/peripherals and instantly switch to my desktop PC that is connected via HDMI + USB.
The fact that the monitor itself is responsible for display inputs removes all kind of problems that traditional KVM boxes have.
In theory the monitor could also switch headphones audio from one computer to the other, and it works, but the output quality is garbage. So I still have that cable to switch manually.
I have the same setup, with some speakers, and it works great. So happy with solution. I also use a DP instead of HDMI, so I can daisy-chain multiple monitors
Learned about this on HN a few months ago. Less than 20 minutes to set it up with a cheapo USB KVM switch and it works great. I have a Model M keyboard plugged into a PS/2-USB adapter and the switches don't even confuse the keyboard.
I wish there were Thunderbolt 4 "KVMs". I have my laptop connected to my TB4 ThinkPad dock, which takes care of charging the laptop, attaches an external display over DisplayPort, has keyboard & mouse, external speakers, and has wired ethernet. When I switch to my desktop, I have to unplug the laptop from the dock and attach the desktop to the dock. It's a minor inconvenience, but it is an inconvenience, and it messes with the cable management.
A tb4 kvm would be nice. I use a dock with my 2 laptops primarily to split video and USB to use with a kvm I share with my desktop so I don't have to switch out mouse, keyboard, and headset between everything.
I will say my favorite accessory has been my particular KVM that allows me to switch between my dock and desktop with a special keyboard command. Beats fiddling directly with the many buttons I had to press on my monitor to switch video inputs previously.
I had the exact problem, and found and expensive but clean solution:
I bought a U2723QE Dell screen, acting as a Hub. All my devices and RJ45 are plugged to the screen.
My laptop uses the charging USB-C port. My desktop requires 2 cables: 1 DP cable (so I can chain another screen) and 1 usb-c cable to the usb-c upstream port.
Whenever I want to switch, I just need to change the input source on my screen, between DP (desktop) or USB-C (laptop). All USB devices and internet are automatically routed to the right computer.
It works like a charm, really happy with this (but once again, that's an expensive screen)
Lighted USB volume knob - they're inexpensive, the large aluminum knob is on a sturdy base, can be pressed down for mute.
ReMarkable2 e-ink tablet -- okay, it's a standalone device, but interfaces to the computer in cool ways (like screen sharing), and it's changed my life as far as note-taking goes
My handwriting is crap, always has been, but I take handwritten notes at times because it is convenient and fast (sometimes), I don't take them to look easy on the eye, I take them for the utility of having taken them. Usually I'll OCR anything that needs keeping long-term and keep it digitally.
Things like BuJo don't appeal to me, because it strips the practical nature of handwritten notes away in favour of making something more akin to art, and thus people become precious about their aesthetics rather than quality of note taking and ability to use their notes. Sorry, bit of rant, been trying to nail notes for a long time, but my conclusion is different tools for different tasks. Trying to compile it all in one place is a nice idea, but perhaps unrealistic for a lot of fields.
The ReMarkable is so tempting but so expensive. It's just hard to stomach spending $500 at a minumum for the tablet + folio + stylus when I could have an iPad (a gimped base model one, but still) for the same price
I find it very tempting but last time I looked into it the sync is to their proprietary service (unless you mess with it). That is going to be a hard no from me.
I use plug-in Sennheiser HD 569 headphones, for better audio experience. But with that, I have a Koss in-line volume control. I'm very picky with how loud things are, so I use the volume control to fine-tune it frequently. Much easier than having to constantly tweak software settings for volume.
This isn't standalone, and doesn't have press-for-mute, but the DasKeyboard 4 Pro has a nice, large aluminum volume knob (and a separate mute button near it). Works perfectly in Linux, along with the "sleep" button. It's part of the keyboard so it's close to your hands and doesn't have any separate cabling.
I got two from Amazon recently and they both work out of the box with Linux. I suspect any you can find will work. They’re standard HID devices which send multimedia key codes like KEY_VOLUMEUP and KEY_VOLUMEDOWN
Everyone mentions the remarkable but the degrading pencil tips have got to be the stupidest, most infuriating, most egregiously rent-seeking product conceivable by the human mind. I refuse to play that game. Why would I want that feeling anyways? On paper I choose the slickest paper and exclusively use a fountain pen as wet as practical without being messy. I understand the glass tablet surface isn't nice for writing and I appreciate the alternative, but the $1.50 a pop guarantee that the tablet becomes a paperweight when remarkable goes out of business is insane. (On that note, I also seem to recall that features have been removed from the device via updates.)
There are a bajillion 3rd-party sellers for EMR nibs; they're just little bits of plastic.
You might be interested in the Supernote, though - it's a similar device to the Remarkable, but it comes with a hard-nib pen and has a slightly soft surface on the screen, which gives it more of a pen-on-paper feel.
Left handed trackball (Elecom). Sits to the left of my Moonlander while my vertical mouse sits to the right. Not only is it convenient, as an old school Diablo player I get to tell people I duel wield.
I also have a cheap X-Pen graphics tablet that I use for ‘white boarding’ on zoom calls.
Almost forgot I also have a usb wireless numpad that I pair with a usb hid remapped on a pi zero to make hot keys for frequent actions.
When I travel I wind up working in all sorts of odd setups. No need to find a flat place to move a mouse. It works in tight places and uneven surfaces such as a couch.
+1 on the left-handed trackball and right-handed vertical mouse. I don't use both together, though. My trackball is a Kensington Orbit, with scroll ring.
I also have a cheap graphics tables, a Huion, for some digital painting or to help with creating software architecture diagrams.
+1 on graphics tablet. I got a Huion HS611. Surprisingly cheap and it becomes much easier to draw diagrams, annotate images, sign signatures, etc with your hand instead of a mouse. Highly recommended for those who need to draw, make diagrams etc.
I have an XP-Pen as well. Works great in Linux. I'm still amazed at how high quality these non-Wacom tablets are today. I had one of those cheap 6" Wacom Graphites back in the early 2000s and that was the best you could get. My XP-Pen blows that thing away. Still haven't found a great place to put it though. I'm just stashing it off to the side but it's awkward moving it around all the time.
I use a drawing tablet as a third monitor, and I use a USB numpad so that I can shove it out of the way when I don't need it (I basically only use it for blender).
For quite a while I used the Logitech G13 in the way you describe using the usb numpad. Just a big block of extra hotkeys when I was in different software.
I wouldn't have thought they were lesser-known, but I've been surprised how many people don't know about today's cheap portable external monitors. They're essentially laptop panels with a USB-C+HDMI board. $100-$150-ish and easily found in 15.6" and 13-14", 1080p or 2K. All the ones I've tried have 2 USB-C ports, mini-HDMI, and speakers. This all depends on what USB-C ports your machine actually has and the right USB-C cables, but a single cable can do power and display from the laptop. Or plug the monitor into USB-C PD source and the same cable will charge the laptop and run the monitor. Mine even has a third USB-C "OTG" port for USB 2.0 speed devices. Good for a second screen on the go or debugging single board computers.
What is the contrast/brightness like with these? I've always wanted one for working with two screens on the go but the ones I've seen in public never seemed to get bright enough.
In a cafe or other bright environment they seem to reflect everything around them similar to the way my MacBook screen does which makes it hard to see anything.
I'm speaking only from limited time seeing them from afar though--I've not actually sat in front of one to use or test out in person.
It's bad. I have a ASUS MB16AHP (claiming a brightness of 220cd/㎡, contrast ratio 700:1) and yeah, in a brightly lit room viewing can be difficult. It's ok under normal office lighting but you'll be out of luck if you have sunlight flooding in. I've been searching for a brighter option but most (all?) the current offerings seem to be based on the same or similar internals.
Still, it's a useful device while traveling – nice to be able to plop a decent multi-monitor setup out of a backpack. My model also has a micro HDMI port (and an internal battery) which can be handy if you need a temporary screen for a Raspberry Pi or a machine that usually runs headless.
You might be interested in a "field monitor" over in the photography department, though they are often small.
I have a 2200 nit (not a typo) piece of kit: Feelworld P7, very sturdy aluminum body, either camcorder batteries (multiple sleds) or 7-24V, 1920x1200 7" screen, HDMI in & out. Works well. I've seen larger displays.
Do you have a specific model you can recommend? I searched a brighter one out especially (300 nits), read reviews, etc. Paid 200€. What I got absolutely sucks, definitely not 300 nits, glitches half the time I try to use it, doesn't remember my settings. When I finally got around to return it, I discovered the company no longer exists lol.
The one I use now is branded YGG. I'd link it but someone already swapped out the Amazon listing to a different model.
I think this is very close to what I have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099DKQS8C/
It claimed 350 nits. Side-by-side with my M1 MBP, I'd say it might be close to that. A lot of them claim HDR but it's some bullshit definition of HDR - definitely not like the MBP's HDR mode.
I think it's a little bit of a crapshoot as to which panel and board you'll get no matter what the branding so somewhere like Amazon with free returns helps. There are a few more premium brands like Viewsonic and Lenovo.
The wireless second screen feature on Samsung tablets works surprisingly well on Windows for this too! I haven't found the need to use it much though. I don't really bring a laptop when I travel anymore.
I've got a Lenovo Yoga Tab 13 (https://www.amazon.de/Lenovo-2160x1350-WideView-Tablet-PC-Sn...) for "development" purposes. It's a nice tablet with 2k screen and enough power for pretty much everything, Android 13 and the killer feature for me: a micro-HDMI input. It works like a charm with MacOs/Linux as a second screen, but you can also connect a Switch or SteamDeck, grab a controller and you can play everywhere on a 13' screen.
The iPad and Mac have Sidecar which lets you use the iPad wired/wirelessly as an additional display for the Mac but it's so damn flaky that I gave up and got the portable monitor.
I do carry a cheap HDMI->USB adapter (Elgato Cam Link knock-off) which lets me use my Macbook as a monitor for things like Raspberry Pi's but not sure what the capture rate is.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned repurposed iPad screens[0]. I just received mine, and it’s fairly nice given the price. It uses a 4:3 aspect ratio, but that’s fine for secondary content when working on my laptop. It also works great for retro gaming as indicated in the link I shared. I only wish it were in the original iPad case and I could use an iPad stand. As it is, it’s housed in a photo frame with cutouts for the new buttons. I selected the USB C option for mine, which is how I connect it to my laptop. Very happy for $80.
For people complaining about ASUS offering - it did look bad on paper with it's crappy latency and even crappier brightness, so I never pulled trigger on one.
I did find some decent options on Ali Express, though.
Got 2 monitors from there - one 15 inch and one 17 inch. Both run in 2k 120Hz. Brightness is OK, never had a problem in a brightly lit room, but I have not tried them out in the sun, like for "working on the beach" type of situation.
When not traveling, I use the smaller one on a VESA arm (the smaller one has screw holes) in vertical orientation for extra screen space next to my 4k larger monitor. And I use the larger portable monitor for sheet music on my piano (connected to Raspberry Pi).
Ordered both from "HDHIFI Store", pretty happy so far.
as a laptop user due to portability constraints, i definitely get their appeal, especially the ones that make a three-screen setup. but they are still a bit too pricey for my tastes and fiddly with the cables.
Lesser-known keyboards: I use a small 40% (45-key keyboard) or an ortholinear keyboard for my daily work.
On both I have layers for a built-in Numpad, mouse keys (for controlling the mouse cursor without taking my hand off the keyboard), shortcuts for working with text (selecting an entire line, copying and pasting, etc) and various other finger- and wrist-saving shortcuts that help me ward off the likelihood of RSI.
I had a wrist injury in the past and it had a big impact on my productivity as a tech worker so using these small compact keyboards is a real godsend.
Everything I need is literally just one key away from another--no more stretching or contorting my hands and fingers to do CTRL+ALT+DELETE or CTRL+SHIFT+F5 for example.
The 40% keyboard can be used as a daily driver but the ortholinear keyboard is my go-to since it's perfect for both work and play.
I have been doing that for years as a nomad of sorts, but it kills your back. I recently bought a small keyboard so I can get a better posture and I recommend you so the same.
I use a 60% keyboard that doesn’t even have dedicated arrow keys. My caps-lock is configured as the Fn key and, when it’s held down, the JKLI letters are the arrow keys. This (and other macros) are actually really convenient when you get used to them. Unfortunately, it’s hard for me to type on “normal” keyboards because when I end up tiYping thinks like that. My keyboard is a Mistel MD600 split.
My favorite unusual accessory is a little 9 key mechanical auxiliary keyboard. I programmed it to be my debug keyboard with all of key combos for my IDEs debugger - run, stop, pause, next, step over/into, set breakpoints, etc. it saves a lot of time (or seems like it does).
I have a 60% without arrow keys and I really miss them. I think in part because the built-in Fn arrow functionality on that keyboard is UJHK (Up-Down-Left-Right). If it's not vi's KJHL (Up-Down-Left-Right), I can never remember it. My daily driver is a 60% with arrow keys - The CoolerMaster SK622. I tried some larger Fekir ones wit arrow keys and function keys, but I find it better to have a smaller keyboard and a Stream Deck.
I moved down from a Logitech G19 to the current configuration. The ergonomics are much better with a smaller keyboard if your desk space is limited.
I have a similar setup with QMK. Where holding down the space bar with my thumb switches to the NAV layer and hjkl become arrow keys and other keys functions change too, like m and n to PGDN and PGUP.
Agree it is difficult at first switching back to a "normal" keyboard.
I have several 60% ANSI HHKB layout[0] boards that I'm fond of, which similarly lack dedicated arrows. They feel more natural to me than typical QWERTY boards, both in arrows being a layer (which reduces hand movement) and in Backspace being one row lower where it's a lot easier to reach.
Same, but I use hjkl and I have the Home, End, PgUp, PgDwn, del keys also accessible with my right pinky when caps-lock is held down. I could never go back. Actually, I now have a 65% keyboard with arrow keys (Keychron V4), but I've never used them, so I'm thinking of going back to 60%.
I also have a Autohotkey script to replicate this when I use my laptop on the go. But I haven't managed to make it work when I need to hold other modifier keys at the same time, like shift or ctrl.
I used to think the same, but once you get used to it, you cannot go back to regular arrow keys. Probably a DFJK combo would be better than HIJK (because H forces me to move my finger from the middle row). But still is way better than the most common layout. And, yes, I delete with alt+D and alt+F :)
It's either 60% or TKL for me. If I'm going to use arrows, they need to be where they've always been. Those bastardized 65% and 72% layouts are an absolute non-starter for me. That being said, I got used to my Vortex II very quickly. Surprisingly quickly. By default, it uses Fn-WASD, NOT Fn-HJKL (vim) like on the newer Vortex 3. I find this very natural because I hold Fn with my right hand, and, well, I've been a gamer for 40 years, and WASD is ingrained in my left hand. If you use HJKL, you have to remap Fn to Caps Lock, which I've used as CTRL or Command, depending on platform, for about 25 years now. (After seeing the light with Sun keyboards.)
As who use 75% keyboard with QMK, I use both dedicated and hjkl mapped arrow keys. I don't understand why so many people love smaller keyboards for that reason.
I use my monitors in portrait mode. Some tools aren't great with it, but when I'm editing a doc it's amazing to be able to see two whole sheets of paper-worth of text.
I don't really use it - yet - but I have been quite interested in the concept of pedals. Some people use them to mute/unmute calls, turn caps lock on and off and even to switch between Vim modes, which is quite nice.
For me, I hope it would also help me quiet my legs a little bit and keep me in an upright posture, avoiding me crossing my legs for instance.
After working for almost 3 years with a barebones work-from-home setup (standup desk + laptop), I finally invested recently in some equipment to improve upon my crappy laptop camera and a room with little natural light. The difference in my video call quality is night and day. This is what I got:
- A key light (Godox ES45) to throw a bunch of bright, natural white light at my face. Attached to the desk and positioned tilted above my head so that it doesn't blind me. I don't notice it when it's on.
- A mic (Razer Seiren Mini) on a boom arm attached to the desk, positioned above my face, just out of the camera's sight. Nice, clean sound. Would sound even better if I were speaking directly into it, but I don't like having the mic visible.
- Repurposed an old mirrorless camera (Sony RX100 III) into a webcam for that sweet HD quality. Way better than any of the webcams out there. Needed to buy a cam link 4K card and connect it via a MicroHDMI <-> HDMI cable. Required a dummy battery kit to connect to AC and some setting tweaking, but it works beautifully. Connected the camera to the key light stand with a clamp mount.
Yes, I love this. Most people don't realize this setup but I feel it is very important. I have a normal soft & warm light (not flat white) that I can flick quickly (point upwards that bounced off the walls). An additional flood light in stand-by for interviews and other more important meetings.
A well mounted setup with a dedicated microphone is a time saver and no brainer. I'm not too keen on the video and think is lesser important than audio but have been thinking on that too. I invested in an extended mount for a separate display, mic, and lights. I has paid off pretty well.
I didn't realize how much a difference the lighting makes until I got one. I got the Google dLight and it has both brightness and warmness sliders and can change it from computer or app (and has profiles) so it's really convenient.
In terms of camera settings, I think the main ones were switching the file format to XAVC and turning off the display icons so they don't show when I'm on video. Might be worth going through https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00245829 and trying a bunch of these, even though the page is not exactly for the same camera.
After that just plug it in and it's recognized as a USB camera. One other thing I ran into was the camera kept losing settings after being turned off. Turns out there is an internal battery that got discharged after years of non-use. I think I used a micro USB cable with a running camera to get it juiced up.
Not sure this would work with every camera. My particular model does not support remote shooting over USB. Newer models of the same camera do and Sony even provides software to go the USB route.
The native Sony software will only support 720p resolution. So gphoto2 still offers better resolution.
"Shooting over USB" is not a requirement to use this. The camera only needs to be able to output the preview stream via USB, which works with most cameras.
I tried this approach and the latency was through the roof, easily a second or so off, making it effectively useless for video conferencing. Switched to an HDMI grabber so I could get something that was actually realtime.
You need to dial in the fps. It's a little bit of work to try different parameters and might not work for every camera. But with most cameras I was able to get the latency below 300ms which should work for most use cases.
> Would sound even better if I were speaking directly into it, but I don't like having the mic visible.
I've found that the sound is better if I keep it off to the side out of frame instead of above. Especially if you have the setting to make it directional and aim it towards your mouth. You can speak directly to the camera and it picks it up.
I got a Seeed ReSpeaker mic array and have been really happy with it. At first it wasn't working at all, but then I did a firmware update on it and it's been great since. It's a 4 mic array with speaker output, and it does some fancy processing to remove the output played from the speakers and uses the 4 mics to detect voice location and "zoom in" on it.
I went from terrible echoy voice to rock solid.
Then I got a 16" MBP, which is what I mostly use now for video conferences because I upgraded my Linux work laptop and switched to Wayland and can no longer do screen sharing.
Unfortunately the RX100MIII isn’t supported, but the Mark IV and over 30 other Sony cameras work with its [Imaging Edge Webcam utility](https://support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp/app/webcam/en/) so you can use the camera directly as a webcam without the need for a capture card or HDMI cable.
I tried using this for a while on my Mac and while it generally works, it just wasn’t reliable enough. Sometimes the camera wouldn’t turn on automatically or it would claim to be in use by another process. It’s also not supported in all programs, and even when it is, it can be a pain to switch cameras due to UI annoyances.
In short, your webcam is one of those things that really needs to work 100% or it’ll end up causing problems at exactly the wrong time. No one wants to have to fiddle with the camera during an important meeting.
The problem is that all the old digital cameras I have at hand are either too old or not high-price-segment enough to support any sort of looping video through, which is a shame. I have 2-3 of those and while they're not awesome, the video would totally beat every laptop webcam...
> - A key light (Godox ES45) to throw a bunch of bright, natural white light at my face. Attached to the desk and positioned tilted above my head so that it doesn't blind me. I don't notice it when it's on.
I found a sunlamp aimed away or behind something helped me a lot. So much so that I got one of those kitchen countertop hydroponic kits that's time to go off usually when I start work.
The sunlamp + morning coffee perk me right up. Plus herbs and stuff.
If you can, sit at a south facing window for natural light, you can also buy a flexible wire rimmed light diffuser used for photography. If you can get the right diffuser for your window frame it should flex into the frame and stay in place (unless the window is open and it cat he's the wind!)
Windows works fine if you just plug 2 keyboards into it. Left hand on one keyboard, right hand on the other; works exactly as if you had one keyboard. Uses a bit more desk space but way cheaper and super easy to manage in an office setting.
I only recently tested this out on a mac and was sad to see that shift/ctl/buckey on one keyboard didn't affect keys on the other keyboard. Probably not worth opening a bug with them.
I've found that the "dedicated" split keyboards don't necessarily have a comfortable distance in the split. The two keyboards end up about about a body width apart especially if I use a standing desk.
These days I use an old M4-1 keyboard (first gen thinkpad keyboard / trackpoint in a standalone keyboard) because I just don't type as much as I used to and I value the desk space.
I wouldn't call it lesser-known, but I tend to use a full-size standard 104-key keyboard with my laptop. It's nice to be able to reach all the keys by feel and to have all those extra keys like Page Up and Page Down, etc. available without having to use a modifier.
Don't forget that most audio interfaces also let you hook up a good pair of studio monitors for output. (And there are compatible subwoofers as well, if you really want more bass.)
Mine also has a headphone jack and independent analog volume controls for speakers and headphones. It's amazingly nice to not worry about the operating system switching audio devices properly on headphone connect/disconnect.
I hide the boom pretty well out of sight but it nags at me. I looked into shotgun mics but there seemed to be a lot of advice to avoid using indoors because of comb filtering. Have you noticed that?
Honestly I haven't analyzed detail of what it sounds like, its mostly for online calls. My mic is shorter than most shotguns, I think the longer ones might have more issues.
I love my old Thinkpad, but its old nvidia is not enough for blender. How's the performance of your setup? Could you share the exact model & gpu you are using?
I was going to joke and say a cup holder (one company actually made a legitimate cup holder that fit in a 5.25" bay back in the '90s or so), but when researching for this comment, I discovered there are actual modern cup holder products that either clamp or magnetically attach to desks or other surfaces now.
In high school, we had computers with Windows and individual logins. When people weren't looking, I would copy over a file I made to their startup folder that would wait a random amount of time before opening the CD tray. It was great.
Keyboard with a left handed number pad and a thumb trackball to the right. The keyboard is a bloody light strike optical gaming keyboard. The trackball has macros set to open a new tab, close a tab, and to use the ball to scroll when you hold down the right mouse button.
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 542 ms ] threadI moved the opposite way and got rid of my mouse for my desktop computer, so everything (except 3D work that is done with a drawing tablet) is done with the keyboard. Web browsing was the hardest to start doing without a mouse...
this wont work with win, you have one cursor two controls.
im sure this has to do with mouse_msg being the same thing[handle] across the two meese.
As much as possible I avoid the mice but when needed it's good to have the option of changing between hands.
If you ever have multiple hour long builds and/or test suites running, this is is a big help.
> time $* && fin || die
I don't know zsh, but this doesn't look escaped properly to me? Bash has so many footguns.
What does the bloom filter do? Is it sort of like a hash to try to make each process show up on a different LED on the display?
That means I can tell exactly which processes are in which status.
I used to have dual monitors, but now I use a super ultrawide 32:9 monitor. It required learning to use window managers since most OS's don't support multitasking setups like that, but I can use layouts now that I couldn't before. I also use PaperWM[1] with it and it feels particularly effective on ultrawides.
[1]: https://github.com/paperwm/PaperWM
UGREEN USB 3.0 Switch Selector 2... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6GD9JO?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_shar...
I used a cheaper one before that but it was garbage - kept dropping inputs for a few seconds here and there.
A USB hub is plugged into it, and all needed peripherals go into the hub first, including audio interface, external hard drive, printer etc.
It's solid, boring, and works perfectly. I've never had a single problem with it, even with my X570 chipset constantly doing the old USB disconnect-a-roo that it's infamous for.
Came to the thread to post this in case it wasn’t posted. Quite a ton of actual utility from a small noname box from Amazon for my same-displays-but-different-sources setup (Mac mini for work, PC for gaming).
With 2 monitors, I use one monitor exclusively with the linux laptop, and the other monitor I have on a HDMI switch to switch between the other 3 computers.
[1]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=354...
The fact that the monitor itself is responsible for display inputs removes all kind of problems that traditional KVM boxes have.
In theory the monitor could also switch headphones audio from one computer to the other, and it works, but the output quality is garbage. So I still have that cable to switch manually.
https://github.com/haimgel/display-switch
https://github.com/input-leap/input-leap
Also recently learned about waynergy as a upcoming wayland client. Haven't used either yet as barrier still handles my setup.
https://github.com/input-leap/input-leap/issues/1414
When switching from personal to work mode, I just swap the USB-C between computers.
Dunno if any USB-C switchers exist though.
I will say my favorite accessory has been my particular KVM that allows me to switch between my dock and desktop with a special keyboard command. Beats fiddling directly with the many buttons I had to press on my monitor to switch video inputs previously.
My laptop uses the charging USB-C port. My desktop requires 2 cables: 1 DP cable (so I can chain another screen) and 1 usb-c cable to the usb-c upstream port.
Whenever I want to switch, I just need to change the input source on my screen, between DP (desktop) or USB-C (laptop). All USB devices and internet are automatically routed to the right computer.
It works like a charm, really happy with this (but once again, that's an expensive screen)
ReMarkable2 e-ink tablet -- okay, it's a standalone device, but interfaces to the computer in cool ways (like screen sharing), and it's changed my life as far as note-taking goes
Things like BuJo don't appeal to me, because it strips the practical nature of handwritten notes away in favour of making something more akin to art, and thus people become precious about their aesthetics rather than quality of note taking and ability to use their notes. Sorry, bit of rant, been trying to nail notes for a long time, but my conclusion is different tools for different tasks. Trying to compile it all in one place is a nice idea, but perhaps unrealistic for a lot of fields.
It syncs to Google Cloud
Any particular recommendations with Linux support?
https://www.amazon.com/d/B0BKG11XBQ
https://www.amazon.com/d/B0B5ZXZWS5
You might be interested in the Supernote, though - it's a similar device to the Remarkable, but it comes with a hard-nib pen and has a slightly soft surface on the screen, which gives it more of a pen-on-paper feel.
Wireless noise cancelling headphones helped with concentration.
UPS saved me a couple times from losing work during power outages.
I also use a homebrew macro keyboard. It's a 16 key keyboard with nice, clicky keys and two analog knobs. It's very convenient.
I also have a cheap X-Pen graphics tablet that I use for ‘white boarding’ on zoom calls.
Almost forgot I also have a usb wireless numpad that I pair with a usb hid remapped on a pi zero to make hot keys for frequent actions.
When I travel I wind up working in all sorts of odd setups. No need to find a flat place to move a mouse. It works in tight places and uneven surfaces such as a couch.
I also have a cheap graphics tables, a Huion, for some digital painting or to help with creating software architecture diagrams.
If you're on Linux, Gromit-MPX is a great companion app to annotate anything on your desktop. https://github.com/bk138/gromit-mpx
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G13-Programmable-Gameboard-D...
In a cafe or other bright environment they seem to reflect everything around them similar to the way my MacBook screen does which makes it hard to see anything.
I'm speaking only from limited time seeing them from afar though--I've not actually sat in front of one to use or test out in person.
Still, it's a useful device while traveling – nice to be able to plop a decent multi-monitor setup out of a backpack. My model also has a micro HDMI port (and an internal battery) which can be handy if you need a temporary screen for a Raspberry Pi or a machine that usually runs headless.
Yeah, I'm a monster who does Solarized Light.
I have a 2200 nit (not a typo) piece of kit: Feelworld P7, very sturdy aluminum body, either camcorder batteries (multiple sleds) or 7-24V, 1920x1200 7" screen, HDMI in & out. Works well. I've seen larger displays.
It claimed 350 nits. Side-by-side with my M1 MBP, I'd say it might be close to that. A lot of them claim HDR but it's some bullshit definition of HDR - definitely not like the MBP's HDR mode.
I think it's a little bit of a crapshoot as to which panel and board you'll get no matter what the branding so somewhere like Amazon with free returns helps. There are a few more premium brands like Viewsonic and Lenovo.
From the top of my head, I only know ASUS.
...but if I can pretend I use it as a second monitor for work, then it's OK! :D
The iPad and Mac have Sidecar which lets you use the iPad wired/wirelessly as an additional display for the Mac but it's so damn flaky that I gave up and got the portable monitor.
I do carry a cheap HDMI->USB adapter (Elgato Cam Link knock-off) which lets me use my Macbook as a monitor for things like Raspberry Pi's but not sure what the capture rate is.
[0] https://misterfpga.org/viewtopic.php?t=3373
Got 2 monitors from there - one 15 inch and one 17 inch. Both run in 2k 120Hz. Brightness is OK, never had a problem in a brightly lit room, but I have not tried them out in the sun, like for "working on the beach" type of situation.
When not traveling, I use the smaller one on a VESA arm (the smaller one has screw holes) in vertical orientation for extra screen space next to my 4k larger monitor. And I use the larger portable monitor for sheet music on my piano (connected to Raspberry Pi).
Ordered both from "HDHIFI Store", pretty happy so far.
On both I have layers for a built-in Numpad, mouse keys (for controlling the mouse cursor without taking my hand off the keyboard), shortcuts for working with text (selecting an entire line, copying and pasting, etc) and various other finger- and wrist-saving shortcuts that help me ward off the likelihood of RSI.
I had a wrist injury in the past and it had a big impact on my productivity as a tech worker so using these small compact keyboards is a real godsend.
Everything I need is literally just one key away from another--no more stretching or contorting my hands and fingers to do CTRL+ALT+DELETE or CTRL+SHIFT+F5 for example.
The 40% keyboard can be used as a daily driver but the ortholinear keyboard is my go-to since it's perfect for both work and play.
If you keep this up though, your wrists, neck, and back will make you pay for it in a few years.
My favorite unusual accessory is a little 9 key mechanical auxiliary keyboard. I programmed it to be my debug keyboard with all of key combos for my IDEs debugger - run, stop, pause, next, step over/into, set breakpoints, etc. it saves a lot of time (or seems like it does).
I moved down from a Logitech G19 to the current configuration. The ergonomics are much better with a smaller keyboard if your desk space is limited.
Agree it is difficult at first switching back to a "normal" keyboard.
[0]: https://hhkb.io/layout/
This is my favourite hack and I do it too, but I'm never giving up on having 105 keys in ISO format.
I also have a Autohotkey script to replicate this when I use my laptop on the go. But I haven't managed to make it work when I need to hold other modifier keys at the same time, like shift or ctrl.
That combined with a USB-C dock and another monitor on an arm. I can quickly dock laptop and keep all my desk space.
For me, I hope it would also help me quiet my legs a little bit and keep me in an upright posture, avoiding me crossing my legs for instance.
Especially handy in gaming to have keys mapped to thinks like Heal
A well mounted setup with a dedicated microphone is a time saver and no brainer. I'm not too keen on the video and think is lesser important than audio but have been thinking on that too. I invested in an extended mount for a separate display, mic, and lights. I has paid off pretty well.
After that just plug it in and it's recognized as a USB camera. One other thing I ran into was the camera kept losing settings after being turned off. Turns out there is an internal battery that got discharged after years of non-use. I think I used a micro USB cable with a running camera to get it juiced up.
Good luck!
"Shooting over USB" is not a requirement to use this. The camera only needs to be able to output the preview stream via USB, which works with most cameras.
I've found that the sound is better if I keep it off to the side out of frame instead of above. Especially if you have the setting to make it directional and aim it towards your mouth. You can speak directly to the camera and it picks it up.
I went from terrible echoy voice to rock solid.
Then I got a 16" MBP, which is what I mostly use now for video conferences because I upgraded my Linux work laptop and switched to Wayland and can no longer do screen sharing.
https://www.seeedstudio.com/ReSpeaker-USB-Mic-Array-p-4247.h...
In short, your webcam is one of those things that really needs to work 100% or it’ll end up causing problems at exactly the wrong time. No one wants to have to fiddle with the camera during an important meeting.
I found a sunlamp aimed away or behind something helped me a lot. So much so that I got one of those kitchen countertop hydroponic kits that's time to go off usually when I start work.
The sunlamp + morning coffee perk me right up. Plus herbs and stuff.
I only recently tested this out on a mac and was sad to see that shift/ctl/buckey on one keyboard didn't affect keys on the other keyboard. Probably not worth opening a bug with them.
These days I use an old M4-1 keyboard (first gen thinkpad keyboard / trackpoint in a standalone keyboard) because I just don't type as much as I used to and I value the desk space.
Mine also has a headphone jack and independent analog volume controls for speakers and headphones. It's amazingly nice to not worry about the operating system switching audio devices properly on headphone connect/disconnect.