Finally, the answers to MySQL database questions about which character set to use, what's the difference between character set, and what's collation and which one to use?
Basic Steps for setting up PHP, Joomla,
Wordpress... on your own local PC
This article is written to remind me about the
first steps to do after installing WampServer, but if it helps anyone who's
looking to enhance their web life by getting a hand into the thick of things,
that would be even better.
To make it easier for readers who are not so
familiar with these stuff, I just typed out a brief introduction
here.
First of all: You'll need to get this piece of
software called WAMPServer.
Where? Do a google search for it and download it,
you can get it from download.com too.
What does it basically mean -
Windows Apache
MySQL PHP.
Although the usage of Synergy once you've got it set up is one of joyful utmost simplicity, the set up stage itself might be a mite challenging. Fret not, Interview With The UltraBeast is here to make your life more enjoyable, not to make it more difficult :)
As such, what else better than a step-by-step pictorial tutorial!
I owe many occasions of enjoyable moments of techie life to the existence of such Internet content, I fondly reminisce... and so, here it is!
First of all, some basic concepts:
You have 2 (or more) PCs. One will be the 'server' (pelayan), the others all 'clients' (pelanggan).
The PC which is connected to keyboard and mouse that you want to use is the server.
Install the Synergy software on all the PCs that you want to share the keyboard and mouse.
There is no mystery, the PCs just connect to each other on the same LAN. You don't even need to enter IP addresses, to know why, read on...
Then :-
Start up the Synergy software on the server. In my case, my desktop PC.
Click on Configure under server.
'Screens' refer to the computers that will be controlled through this software. In my case, my desktop is called 'amd' and my notebook is called 'ubill'.
Added those 2 screens by clicking '+' and typing them in. Where did those 'screen names' come from and what do they represent? That is shown in the next picture.
After adding the screens, add the edges of the screens where the mouse dragged beyond will cause the pointer to cross over to the next.
As shown, the right edge of my desktop screen crosses over to my notebook's screen. The '15% to 100%' setting is so that the mouse cannot cross over on the top 15% of my screen right edge... this is to prevent my mouse pointer from going over when I'm trying to click the "X" window close button on the top right.
The next line says my desktop is to the left edge of my notebook. I forgot to put this the first time, which resulted in my mouse cursor not being able to return to my desktop PC :p (Fret not, if this happens just quit the Synergy program on either one of the PCs to disconnect)
The 'screen name' is actually just the name of your computer as it appears in My Network Places (fondly known formerly as 'kejaringan kejiranan' or 'Network Neighbourhood' in those Win98 machines.)
The easy way to find out is to right-click on My Computer>>Properties - Computer Name tab.
Look ma, no IP addresses! :-)
Start up the program on the client (notebook) side, but choose settings as above, keying in the Computer Name of the server in the box.
Don't worry, if you keyed in the same name as the current computer, after ~10 secs a message will alert you.
(This happened because I took the screen shots on the same PC :D ) Man, didn't they just think of everything that you could do wrong?
At some point you may be prompted to 'Unblock' this application by your Windows Firewall, just do it in order to use this software.
If it still doesn't work for you, first thing check your firewall whether is it blocking this app.
The search keyword for this kinda thing is : Keyboard Mouse (KM) sharing.
Which is the little brother of KVM sharing, which is Keyboard-Video(monitors)-Mouse sharing. Of which some hardware might be needed, the coolest I've seen so far is one from Belkin. I think it's called Belkin Flip, if I recall correctly.
Next follows some unnecessary (so, no need for mass paranoia, people) but interesting notes:
My friend alerted me that could it be possible for someone else to inadvertantly (or deliberately) get control of your PC?
Well, the only possibility is that if you set a allowed screen name in the list (e.g. 'abc') and you are running the software as 'server' on your PC, and another dude (or your little sister) on your network happens to change her Computer Name to 'abc' as well, thus gaining a connection to your PC, sliding her mouse off her screen into yours and accidentally playing your treasured porn collection.
But of course the software must be running as 'client' on her side and specified to connect to your Computer Name.
It is a very unlikely chain of events to happen since you are the one running the 'server' and doing all the settings... If you are worried, just don't run this software ... so it is 99.9999% safe for us, people who definitely, undoubtedly, know what we are doing...
... either that, or I hope you didn't turn your speakers on too loud ...
Well now folks... finally cleared up a bit of my stuff and set up my rig, as shown in the following photos.
My rig.
Observant readers would notice that I am using one full-sized keyboard and mouse to control both PCs.
*Gasp*... how is this possible?
This is the answer.
So, how does it work?
Just drag your mouse pointer past the edge of the screen and your mouse pointer will cross over to the other screen, after crossing over your mouse and keyboard will function as the keyboard and mouse for the other PC.
Reverse the motions to control again the first PC. Neat huh? :-)
Reminds me of a Cantonese movie of quite some time back, where a computer virus attacking the HK Police Force's computers was graphically represented by a large piranha screen saver eating through multiple side-by-side PC screens. LOL...
Stepicutorials!
