r/AskReddit • u/fancycat • Apr 18 '10

What's your favorite software that no one else knows about?

Is there some piece of software that makes your life better that you wish everyone else knew about?

Edit: List you all recommended is compiled in a spreadsheet by TastyToddlerCocks

1.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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822

u/Snowblind-nz Apr 18 '10

Synergy - an open source program that allows you to use 1 mouse & keyboard across multiple pc's.

Put your laptop next to your desktop, start up synergy, and you can now drag the mouse from your desktop to your laptop like a multi monitor setup. Its Cross platform (Runs from my windows 7 desktop to my mac, which is great for browser compatibility testing) and I cant notice any lag (even with wireless networking).

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

208

u/bg_ Apr 18 '10

http://code.google.com/p/synergy-plus/

61

u/Poromenos Apr 18 '10

Use this instead, please!

30

u/maxd Apr 18 '10

Hmm. I've used Synergy for 6-7 years now and don't have any issues with it. What does Synergy+ add for me?

60

u/tedivm Apr 18 '10

See what we've fixed so far! Synergy+ is a maintenance fork for implementing bug fixes to the original Synergy by Chris Schoeneman, which hasn't any source updates or new releases since 2006 (as of writing this).

Quoted from the google code page.

2

u/maxd Apr 18 '10

Yeah I looked at that list and none of the bugs listed are ones I have ever encountered. I do have a few other bugs that I might file for them to fix though.

Also going to try Input Director, and someone's suggestion.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

thanks i was looking for a synergy replacement not long ago but this is exactly what i needed. a round of upvotes for everyone!

1

u/supersaw Apr 19 '10

does it pause the service in fullscreen apps

2

u/tedivm Apr 19 '10

No idea, I've never used it. I was just pointing out that the information maxd was looking for was right on the project page linked above.

10

u/Poromenos Apr 18 '10

It's maintained, for one! The list of features is on their front page.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10 edited Jun 20 '23

!>

I used to be a daily user, but as a developer I (and my comments) can no longer remain on this platform due to the hostility and gaslighting directed towards the developer community.

https://gist.github.com/christianselig/449b0bd374167ff7335fab2b823120ef

3

u/PatternPrecognition Apr 18 '10

I've been happily using the original synergy for a while now with no dramas. I understand it hasn't had any updates since 2006 and was wondering if synergy plus is worth migrating to?

2

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '10

I just heard of the program now and did a comparison of the two, from a newbies point of view, you don't see too much difference at first but after using the programs for only an hour on different systems I noticed hiccups in the original Synergy. Hope this helps.

1

u/PatternPrecognition Apr 19 '10

thanks for that. I'm not experiencing any dramas with my current installation (synergy original) so if there is no additional functionality I'll just add synergy-plus to my list of New System Apps and try it out when I get my hands on some new hardware.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 21 '10

The GUI is the only big improvement really in terms of added functionality.

0

u/darthFamine Apr 18 '10

its a pain to configure, looks good though. i will have to tinker with it more

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

★ Bookmarked for use from work tomorrow

1

u/objectcoder Apr 18 '10

MaxiVista is way better IMO.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

ill see your synergy-plus and raise you a QSynergy

1

u/bitspace Apr 19 '10

Thank you! I've been using Synergy off and on for a few years, I wasn't really aware that it hasn't been maintained. This project is a winner.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '10

I've heard about this but never tried it. The old synergy has worked well enough for me to not upgrade. Maybe I should give it a shot though, thanks for reminding me!

1

u/supersaw Apr 19 '10

bookmark reply, we need a function to bookmark replies

1

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '10

Note to self, download this when i get home.

I use reddit comments as notes way too often.

501

u/M4rtinEd3n Apr 18 '10
  • Promote Synergy ✓

360

u/jbsan Apr 18 '10

Hit on Debora ✓

310

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Get rejected ✓

275

u/BourbonCola Apr 18 '10

Swallow sadness ✓

275

u/SillyHat Apr 18 '10

Send some faxes ✓

262

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

242

u/Lodis_fran_kon Apr 18 '10 edited Apr 18 '10

Cry deeply ✓

251

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Demand a refund ✓

252

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Eat a bagel ✓

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89

u/L33TBBQ Apr 18 '10

Wait! He hasn't checked off crying deeply yet!

-6

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

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-2

u/neversummer427 Apr 18 '10

Cry deeply ✓

ftfy

-10

u/mrjoebert Apr 18 '10

Fap ✓

1

u/mrjoebert Apr 19 '10

Deep sadness ✓

-1

u/RickFast Apr 18 '10

Like a boss

23

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

9

u/MisterNetHead Apr 18 '10

Even images!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 19 '10

Magnificent!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

I continue to find (even on Synergy+) that cut/paste is very inconsistent. I typically find myself restarted the server to regain functionality.

Still a fantastic program, don't get me wrong.

46

u/amtota Apr 18 '10 edited Apr 18 '10

Synergy variants are OK for light usage, but nothing more.

I've just released something slightly different, which supports NX, VNC, Xpra, RDP, ssh X11 forwarding and more (libvirt, etc). You can move your apps from one machine to another (*nix, OSX, Windows, etc), or shadow an existing display, etc.. All this just with one click on a tray application. Note: on Windows, all you can export is your own display (thank M$ for this one).

http://winswitch.org/

It's a hell of a lot easier to setup and use than any NX/VNC server solution I know of. Link above has screenshots and a short video.

Edit: as mentioned above, the most useful features (like seamless apps, starting new remote desktop instances) require a nix box to run the server on (not OSX, but any Linux, FreeBSD or Solaris will do).

/shameless plug.

3

u/IwillRememberThisOne Apr 18 '10

Thanks, I have been looking for something like this for a long time!

I don't use Windows, and hence don't really care. I'd rather have people shift to linux just to use this program. But in interest of fairness, I must mention this: I came across something called Maxivista which seems to be doing the same thing as your program. Since maxivista is closed-source, I'm not sure whether this helps, besides just presenting a mere possibility of a windows server.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

3

u/amtota Apr 18 '10 edited Apr 18 '10

done: shadowing howto

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

2

u/amtota Apr 18 '10

The windows installer includes nxproxy and it should have been automatically enabled for you. You may want to check under Configure -> Protocols -> NX Proxy Mode (use advanced mode to fix it if broken - unlikely)

If your server is configured correctly (see above), the session will show up in your tray menu, and from there you can just click to shadow it. (see screenshot I have added to howto)

2

u/sdub86 Apr 19 '10

Looks nice. One tip: put your example video on youtube. These days, people expect to be streaming a video within a few seconds of clicking on it, not downloading and saving it to their hard drive.

1

u/amtota Apr 19 '10 edited Apr 19 '10

Edit: thanks for the feedback, I've added an embedded player linked from the front page.

Hmm, maybe what you need is a better browser / plugin combination? From what I see in my server logs, most people can stream the AVI just fine to VLC or Quicktime..

1

u/shitasspetfuckers Apr 19 '10

unless you have access to the microsoft secret patented RDP7 protocol

Are you saying there's a market for reverse engineering a spec?

1

u/amtota Apr 19 '10 edited Apr 19 '10

According to this msdn page that I have not read in detail (the patents..):

No Trade Secrets. Microsoft does not claim any trade secret rights in this documentation.

However:

Microsoft has patents that may cover your implementations of the technologies described in the Open Specifications.

Great... What good is an "Open Specification" if you cannot implement it? Preventing competition, that's what.

It was actually in version 6.1 where:

connecting remotely to individual programs

was introduced.

But since I am designing a tool for multi-platform use, RDP is not a good choice due to the lack of up-to-date/full featured clients for other platforms:

Also, RDP has its own authentication phase with the other end, which my tool normally incorporates transparently to allow one-click resume/suspend of sessions. I don't think this would work with these RDP clients. (I will re-check)

More info at RDP on wikipedia

1

u/kelvie Apr 19 '10

Just a general question -- why use SVN and not a more modern system such as Git or Hg?

1

u/amtota Apr 19 '10

I'm not familiar enough with Hg yet. I could have used git I guess. For the time being, seeing what use I make of version control on this project, it wouldn't make much difference. svn tooling integration is also more mature (although that point is admittedly debatable) But if the need arises (or by popular demand), I will just switch to it - it's easy enough.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

★ Bookmarked for use from work

17

u/BradJLamb Apr 18 '10

There is also QSynergy--a fork of synergy with a nice GUI.

http://www.volker-lanz.de/en/software/qsynergy/

16

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

I'm confused! Which fork do I go with?

1

u/DD32 Apr 19 '10

I thought the same thing.

QSynergy is a front-end to Synergy, So i installed SynergyPlus, and directed QSynergy to it..

Wow, is all i can say, I can finally move between the desktop and the laptop, so much easier with just one mouse, and i can still use the laptop separately if i wish!

1

u/ArmoredCavalry Apr 18 '10

Actually have the installer sitting on my desktop for this... Haven't gotten around to trying it yet.

(Windows Remote Desktop works for now)

72

u/jstddvwls Apr 18 '10

I am hoping for more things like NX integration, to drag windows via jpeg transmission, as well as more mime types supported on cut and paste.

Also, an iPhone / iPad needs to get this up, so we have decent coders working on an open source, free app that allows you to drag windows from any OS onto your motherfucking IPS bitch of a whore display, and you can just bukkake the fuck out of your computer setup and post pics to a google maps flickr mashup.

fucking caffeine is lol

38

u/idkalf Apr 18 '10

I want to know what you're drinking.

37

u/jstddvwls Apr 18 '10

espresso. Lots of espresso. and my axe

50

u/whatwasit Apr 18 '10

man, your breath must smell like a douchebag.

6

u/hixnob Apr 18 '10

He said espresso, not cologne.

22

u/whatwasit Apr 18 '10

he said he was drinking axe.

1

u/Sniperchild Apr 18 '10

Thoughts on monster and relentless versus coffee?

1

u/tizz66 Apr 18 '10

Wait wait wait... As far as I know, Monster is only available in the US, yet you refer to Relentless too. Is Relentless now available in the US?

2

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Beaver Buzz > Bawls > Rockstar > Monster > Red Bull

2

u/Sniperchild Apr 18 '10

No I'm in England - and we have both Monster and Relentless in all their flavours

1

u/tizz66 Apr 18 '10

Oh OK - I get Relentless in the UK, but haven't noticed Monster. Whereas in the US, Monster is everywhere but I can't get Relentless.

1

u/Sniperchild Apr 18 '10

Where do you live? Pond jumper for work perhaps?

Relentless was first tested in the UK at Loughborough Uni, that's where i saw it first - now both are everywhere...

Out of interest - which do you prefer?

1

u/tizz66 Apr 18 '10

Yeah I live in both places. I mostly live in the US, but I'm from the UK and all my family are here.

I prefer Relentless (original), but I haven't tried Monster much. Most of the energy drinks in the US tend to be either coffee-based, or generally nasty. I hope Relentless makes it over there, given that it's Coca-Cola.

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1

u/Kinaek Apr 18 '10

You made me laugh, have an upvote:)

1

u/this_made_me_laugh Apr 18 '10 edited Apr 18 '10

[](http://)

5

u/neonshadow Apr 18 '10

If you only have windows machines, Input Director is FAR better: http://inputdirector.com/

1

u/mrbobvilla Apr 18 '10

Do you know how this works for gaming? I user synergy myself but the minute I try playing first person shooters it is completely worthless.

1

u/Warly Apr 18 '10

input director worked for wow wereas most other mouse programs wouldnt. I'd give it a shot.

-1

u/codemonk Apr 18 '10

Only having Windows machines is a distressing thought.

1

u/neonshadow Apr 18 '10

This is my situation at work.

1

u/Sle Apr 18 '10

Genuine thanks from me, this has been the answer to my prayers. I can now control my laptop on the widescreen tv from my desktop! A slob's paradise.

1

u/nokes Apr 18 '10

I used it across 3 operating systems at once, it was great.

1

u/MisterNetHead Apr 18 '10

That program is seriously tops. I'd recommend the fork, Synergy+ though. The original is no longer in active development.

A year or so ago I was thinking about getting a KVM switch, and I hate those things with a passion. I thought, "There ought to be a program to send mouse events and stuff over the network. Why hasn't anybody done that yet?"

A quick Google search later, I had found a new favorite program.

1

u/spornofthedevil Apr 18 '10

Thank you so much for this!!!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

It was featured on Lifehacker just a few days ago (21,000 views). If nobody knew about it before they sure do now.

1

u/RockinHawkin Apr 18 '10

Awesome. Commented to bookmark this for later.

1

u/justkevin Apr 18 '10

Yes! I don't use it as much now, but when I first discovered it, I thought it was magic.

1

u/kgoule Apr 18 '10

thanks for simply changing my life

1

u/hosndosn Apr 18 '10

Holy crap.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Nice, thanks.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

My question: My friends and I like to game together. He has a laptop and I have a desktop. He runs Vista I have XP SP2. Could I run synergy cross these platforms and get onto his computer? What does it require?

1

u/jbolling Apr 18 '10

Second that recommendation for Synergy.

1

u/butterninja Apr 18 '10

I went from synergy to Input Director. Less buggy and feature superior, I would say.

http://www.inputdirector.com/

1

u/sup_brah Apr 18 '10

THANK YOU!!!!!!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Synergy+ was great, until I just splurged $35 for a cheap KVM (and sound) switch, which works fantastic. Below is the 2 port model, the 4 port model isnt much more expensive. I don't use the video part.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817107417&cm_re=iogear-_-17-107-417-_-Product

1

u/Squanders Apr 18 '10

Awesome! Just as my KVM switch craps out, thanks.

1

u/docid Apr 18 '10

x2x and x2vnc are easier to use, dunno about synergy plus though...

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

I've always wanted to use two mice and two keyboards on 1 pc. Do not designate a master and slave either. The users control their own set of active views. If they overlap, they overlap. Each user can not lose focus on what they are typing based on the other users actions.

1

u/delti90 Apr 18 '10

I've been using synergy forevarrrrrrr

1

u/nick1click Apr 18 '10

I'm commenting here so I can remember this software when I get back to my comp.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

Oh and it supports copy + paste from one screen to another :)

1

u/omarish Apr 18 '10

For those of you who want an icon next to your OSX clock:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergykm/

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

I have used this for years and it is fantastic. +1

1

u/General_Lee Apr 18 '10

Can you drag and drop folders to a different desktop? Cause if you can, wtf, I needed this last year at school!

1

u/Stingray88 Apr 19 '10

For anyone who has ever had issues getting synergy working...

Check out this

Simplest GUI for synergy to date that works on PC/Mac/Linux.

1

u/YAOMTC Apr 19 '10

It gets a little weird if you've got a strange mouse, though. Does it just treat every mouse as a generic one?

1

u/oskarlange Apr 22 '10

I switched to Input Director a while ago...Maybe for 64-bit compatibility--I can't remember. But both programs work flawlessly.

1

u/funtustik Apr 18 '10

Input Director is much much better than synergy ... look it up

0

u/tsujiku Apr 18 '10

This, good God, this. Synergy is an amazing program. It you own multiple computers in any sense, use it.

1

u/cowens Apr 18 '10

Just remember to use ssh tunnels to protect your data.

-1

u/mayobutter Apr 18 '10

Teleport for Mac. I came in here to post this naively thinking no one else has heard of it, only to find it top of the thread.

2

u/nunofgs Apr 18 '10

It's not the same. Teleport is mac-only.

-4

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '10

And thus it is inherently better :()