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From: Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Raspberry Pi5 versus other cheap Intel based boxes
 for general computing
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2024 09:37:45 -0700
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On 4/3/2024 11:58 AM, Wanderer wrote:
> I'm interested in putting the internet on a separate computer and switching
> the monitor, keyboard and mouse with a switch box. How well would it work
> for something like that? How well does it handle the internet?

We don't route any of the "other" computers/appliances in the house; just
this one (and a laptop for ecommerce).  *This* computer obviously has its
own keyboard/monitor/mouse as it is physically distant from the rest of
our kit.

You need to get accustomed to sneakernet as there invariably are things
that want to move from the routed to unrouted networks.  (and, have to use
discipline to ensure you don't move the wrong thing(s) to the wrong
places!)

I used KVMs in the past and found varying results.  Some would get confused
if one of the computers was powered off.  Some wouldn't handle sharing the
audio.  etc.

[I have a touchpanel that is shared among four machines -- but, they are
intended to be headless so the display is only needed when something isn't
"as expected" (why hasn't this machine booted?)]

In the office, I run a set of three monitors for each pair of (physically
adjacent) workstations.  I use the "input select" switches on the monitors
to determine which video source to display on THAT monitor (remember, three
monitors available for each workstation).

I tend to locate workstations with similar purposes on the same set of
monitors so I can switch one (or two) monitors over to the "other"
workstation and see displays side-by-side.  (I can also do this with
by opening a VNC connection to the "other" workstation).

But, I don't share keyboards/mice!  So, I have to discipline myself to
know which keyboard to type on based on where I want the keystrokes to go.
This is usually acceptable as I most often am using "the other" display
just as a reference.  E.g., looking at a schematic while writing a
driver for that interface.

[VNC is the preferred solution when you have to *interact* with both
workstations as you can control the focus for a single keyboard/mouse
implicitly.  But, that also requires both machines to be on the
same network!  And, complicates things like photorealistic animations.]