The sign of a useful tool is being able to use daily with out even thinking about it. At least until is does something you didn’t expect. My KVM is one of those tools I make use of with out realizing it. It wasn’t until some one moved it to vacuum under my desk and didn’t reconnect it. So during the reconnect and reboot I found my self pondering how the KVM is the one device I know I have gotten my moneys worth out of.

For those of you who don’t know what a KVM is, it stands for Keyboard, Video, Mouse. It is a box that let you connect two or more computer to the same Keyboard, Video, and Mouse. The common question I get when I tell some about KVMs is “wouldn’t it be easier to just have a Keyboard, Video, Mouse for each one?” Yes, as long as they are on different desks. But when they are being used on the same desk a KVM really does make things easier.

When you are a geek and a DIY nut Computers tend to collect about you. And when you have more then one computer you quickly find that specialized computers are really useful. One for “normal” use, one to test software with, another as a back up server, and another for the mp3 collection. And of course they all have to be in the same spot other wise you running all over the house or office.

I have had two computers using the same monitor with different keyboards and mice. Buy changing the input on the monitor I could change what computer I was looking at. And depending on the background I knew what color keyboard to use. It worked well enough, but it was very common to find I was typing on the wrong keyboard or moving the wrong mouse. But the biggest problem was the amount of desk top space that was used up by an extra keyboard.

With a few taps of the scroll lock button you can cycle between each computer, or in two keystrokes switch direct to the computer I need. The process becomes fluid the more times you use it. After a while using the KVM isn’t like switching between computers, it more like looking at a different window on the same computer. I can switch from my main computer over to the test computer where I install lots of programs to test and don’t have to worry about corrupting the system registry. After I get a screen shot or two I can then Run the back up software to re-image the test pc. Then switch to the media pc to change play lists. And maybe buy a few new mp3s. Then back to my main computer to finish something I’m writing. The KVM lets me do a lot of stuff at the same time with out having to worry about one program crashing everything.