Hi Rick! For the past few years I've been using the D-Link DKVM-4 KVM switch. I think they go for about $35 (do a "Froogle"). Keep in mind that you will need a set of cables for each of the systems you attach to the switch. I have some that are "molded" and have the all the wires in one bundle, which cleans up a lot of the mess and tangle with separate wires for each computer's mouse, keyboard, and video ... and they're shielded! Each cable set costs around $20 (do another "Froogle"). My systems seem to work OK. I've noticed no added noise from the KVM set up in the radio and no RF getting back into the computers via the switch. The cost of the system is more than justified by the fact that you'll have only one monitor rather than four ... and so, proportionally less noise in the radios.
There used to be a "manual" KVM switch that used a big rotary wafer switch rather than the electronic switching of the D-Link device. These were "clunky", and tended to get worn and dirty, and might connect the video and keyboard ... but loose the mouse until you twiddled with it. Actually, USB mouse and keyboard ought to make this tangled task easier and cheaper. On the Linux users issue: I tend to view this one "Worldwide". Since LINUX is a free system, the "value-per-buck" is infinite. It'll be hard for M$ to compete in a market where the lowest price is $0 ... regardless how many "features" they add. The Chinese have just taken over production of IBM's desktop and portable computer lines. Since the Chinese government mandates the inclusion of their own LINUX flavor on all machines built and marketed there, expect the user base to develop quite rapidly. These machines should should start showing up soon in places like Wal-Mart with an introductory price just a tiny bit above the floor sweepings, as they seek "market share". Hams tend to be among the cheapest of cheapskates. Look for a lot more LINUX in the hamshack very soon. Most folks just want a computer that works for them ... not the other way-round. With new viruses showing up weekly from the "script-kiddies", even Mosberg now advises the use of Mozilla or a Firefox/Thunderbird combo to replace M$ Exploiter and "Outhouse"/"Weird" for browsing, email and word tasks. Firefox and Thunderbird look the same, feel the same, and work the same on both LINUX and M$ systems. For the vast majority of computer users "technical savvy" is no longer an issue with LINUX. The same folks who are techno-illiterate users of M$ Windows can now maintain their same level of illiteracy. Linux is able to compensate for them, even better than Windows ever did. OpenOffice provides all the functionality of M$ Office systems with none of the cost and less technical requirements. The governments of Germany, Brazil, India, Indonesia, to mention but a few, now mandate the use of LINUX in all government and educational institutions. With China in the mix, well over half the worlds population will be LINUX users. Its hard to argue with FREE. I expect that State govenments in the USA will figure out the economics before our federal people. As they attempt to balance budgets, they'll look to see who gets the biggest checks and where cuts can be made, they'll make them. Again, its hard to argue with the prices when all the functionality is equal or better. 73 Harv, AI9NL Washburn, WI On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 09:00:47 -0600, Rick Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > One of the things that I have noticed the last year or so has been the > increase in interest in GNU/Linux in the ham community. While I would be > surprised if it is more than 2%, there are more hams using Linux than the > general public (world wide estimate from Gartner is 1.3% for general > public.) But it makes sense that hams are using Linux in increasing numbers > considering that on average we are much more technically oriented than the > public at large. > > While I still think Linux has a lot of problems for average users, it may > be > beneficial for hams in that it has the robustness that MS products do not > have, and more importantly, it may be able to do things that the MS > products > can not do. A good example being Pactor I. > > I think it is reasonable that we can expect more Linux, or at the very > least, more multi-platform software as developers get the skills necessary > to do this. Realistically, this will likely be a slow process, and I do not > expect this to be all that soon and am thinking of a time line over perhaps > a ten year period based upon what we see happening with the increasing > adoption of Linux by other countries and certain governmental units around > the world. I expect that we would have to have a sort of "critical mass" > and > then you might see much greater adoption. > > In the meantime Windows is still going to be the mainstay for most hams, > especially the less technical ones. > > The dilemma that I have is being able to have a ham shack that can switch > as > needed. Dual boot is not an option due to the time required to switch and > the danger of corrupting your existing system. (As a consultant, I use my > computer primarily for my home office and had a really bad experience with > dual boot and don't recommend it:( > > Until this week, I never knew about KVM switches. I was visiting a local > programmer's home to see his RFID development, and he had 4 computers > hooked > up to his one keyboard, monitor and mouse. And could instantly switch > between them. This would solve the problem of having multiple computers > available with different operating systems. Incidentally, he had Windows > XP, > Linux Slackware, Linux Red Hat, and Sun Solaris on each of the computers. > > Have any of you tried the typical Belkin or IOGear KVM products? I have > heard varying degrees of success in checking around the internet. Also, I > heard that some new computers are coming with only USB mice and keyboards. > Has this been your experience? > > If you decide to use a KVM with only USB connectors for the KB and mouse, > does this work OK for digital ham use when using computers that normally > were expecting PS2 type connection? Or is it much better to stay with a PS2 > type of KVM switch assuming the computers you want to connect are PS2 type? > > Really appreciate some help on this. > > 73, > > Rick, KV9U > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Cliff Hazen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, February 11, 2005 5:54 AM > To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [digitalradio] SCAMP > > > > writing Viruses for Linux is like robbing banks in Antarctica > Cliff N7HIY > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dr. Howard S. White" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <digitalradio@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 19:15 PM > Subject: Re: [digitalradio] SCAMP > > > > With 96+% of the computers in the world running Windows > > ... unless you are volunteering to port it to Linux > > ... I think you will have to wait for a while... > > __________________________________________________________ > Howard S. White Ph.D. P. Eng., VE3GFW/K6 AE6SM > "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" > "Awfully Extremely Six Sado Masochist" > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Harv Nelson > To: digitalradio@yahoogroups.com > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2005 5:31 PM > Subject: Re: [digitalradio] SCAMP > > > So I see. OH well, I'll just wait and twiddle abit more. > > I just got my ham CD (remaster of knoppix) to go. I'll put the > Olivia stuff you sent me in there tomorrow. I even got HFterm to > start up on it, but that'll take a bunch more work to make it run > right. I was hopeing maybe the scamp would be available soon. > > Tnx again, 73 > > Harv, AI9NL > > > On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 18:19:15 -0500, Paul L Schmidt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > The only thing I could find indicated it was Visual Basic > > and .NET :( > > > > -ps > > > > Harv Nelson wrote: > > > Anybody have anything available for LINUX? > > > > > > tnx > > > > > > Harv, AI9NL > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ > > > > Discussion Forums at http://www.obriensweb.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor > > > > ADVERTISEMENT > > > > > > ________________________________ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > To visit your group on the web, go to: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. > > > > The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ > > Discussion Forums at http://www.obriensweb.com > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor > ADVERTISEMENT > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > Yahoo! Groups Links > > a.. To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ > > b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > Service. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ > > Discussion Forums at http://www.obriensweb.com > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > --- > avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. > Virus Database (VPS): 0506-1, 02/11/2005 > Tested on: 2/11/2005 3:54:15 AM > avast! - copyright (c) 2000-2004 ALWIL Software. > http://www.avast.com > > > > > > > > The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ > > Discussion Forums at http://www.obriensweb.com > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ > > Discussion Forums at http://www.obriensweb.com > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor > > ADVERTISEMENT > > > ________________________________ > Yahoo! Groups Links > > To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/ > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------------------------ Yahoo! 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