Suggestions for a Strange Project?

[Mega Hurts]

> I believe that a 'time server' may solve the clock problem.  Security may
be
> an issue -- I've never tried to set one up myself.

Is this a Python-based solution, or did you have other
apps in mind?

I'm hoping to handle this with a Python applet.  My
four personal machines would benefit from a daily auto-
mated clock correction, but I would ventually be applying
the solution to a large Linux cluster.

Hopefully, security would be no more an issue for this
than for any other scripted tasks either cluster would
handle.

> The others may require a
> bit more coding.  You might be able to run a modification of the
> Python-based chat program at
> http://strout.net/python/server.py
> and have each computer post the clipboard contents periodically.  > Just a
thought.
>
> - Kevin

Thanks for the link!  Looks like a good starting point
for the communications need.

I have always wanted more flexible features than the
clipboard Windows offers.  The ability to hold multiple
items comes to mind, especially when I'm pasting
chunks of boilerplate in standard responses to email
inquiries.  I believe there are clipboard apps for
Windows, but I've not taken the time to test any.
Making a shared-clipboard app for a cluster would seem
a natural for multiple items.

Probably the biggest challenge is going to be sharing the
graphics pad mouse-cursor messages.  Sensing and trans-
mission of actions may be less of a challenge than
INTERCEPTION, so a tap or movement does not effect the
machine to which the hardware is actually connected unless
the software is 'switched' to that machine.

At best, sounds like Windows API issues.  The pad is
a USB unit, and I'd be surprised if there was any way
to communicate more directly with it- but maybe there
is a hardware abstraction layer in software for these,
and a way to tap into it.

I can dream, can't I?  !-)


> "Mega Hurts" <fictitious at bogus.moc> wrote in message
> news:3b2abb77_1 at news3...
> > One computer has never been enough for me.
> > Even back in the olden days of Z80 S-100 machines
> > (pre IBM PCs), I used TurboDOS with multiple SBCs,
> > and a strange multiple MicroAngelo graphics setup
> > of my own design.
> >
> > Some things never change.
> >
> > My current setup consists of four machines, running
> > Win98.  I use a single monitor and infrared keyboard/
> > mouse, and switch from one machine to another with
> > a KVM switch.  I connect to the internet on the first
> > machine, which runs a proxy, and the other machines
> > can run mail, FTP, news and web clients.  I use a couple
> > of the boxes for compute-intensive MPEG recording, and
> > when they are busy, can switch to the others for office
> > activities.  Soon I will change the fourth box to Linux.
> >
> > To switch from box to box, I press CTL-CTL-1, or
> > CTL-CTL-2, etc.  The fun begins:
> >
> > [1] I use background colors and a labeled icon to remind
> > me which context I'm in.  Things get fun when I am
> > working in a file, copy text or a graphic, switch to
> > another machine- AND FORGET THAT I CAN'T PASTE.
> >
> > [2] Or I'm using my beloved and vital graphics pad and
> > switch machines, only to be reminded that the cursor
> > on one machine and one only is under Wacom control.
> >
> > [3] All the clocks lose and gain time at different
> > rates.  This becomes important when recording off-air
> > scheduled events, and updating the clocks on four machines
> > is just another chore.
> >
> > Well, Rochester... I'm thinking.  All these boxes can
> > talk to each other via that zippy 100Mb LAN.
> >
> > Now, why can't machine #1 share its web-updated clock
> > info, and machine #2 share its graphics-tablet cursor
> > info when needed, and all of them write to a common
> > 'clipboard'?
> >
> > A lightweight task running on all machines should provide
> > the connectivity and clock awareness, cursor and mouse-key-awareness.
Any
> > suggestions on where to start?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>