Do you have two computers? Then get Multiplicity

Here's what Multiplicity Pro does:

It lets you use both computers together with a single keyboard and mouse. It then sets up a universal clipboard between the machines so that you can copy and paste files, images, text, etc. between the machines as if they were a single box. It can really boost your productivity. Every developer at Stardock -- every single one -- uses it.  Ask anyone on our team how we were able to make a game like Galactic Civilizations II with such a small staff and Multiplicity inevitably is one of the reasons.

If you've ever used multiple monitors, think of Multiplicity as being the next step -- each monitor is hooked up to its own computer and when you move your mouse cursor onto a different monitor, you now control the computer that the monitor is connected to. Multiplicity Pro adds the ability to control up to 7 computers (instead of 2) and its clipboard support includes actual files/folders too.

Here are some of the key points:

• It's incredibly easy to set up. Just install it onto your computers and assign one of the computers to be the primary and the others to be secondary. Then from the primary you can easily set up the secondary in minutes.


• If you do anything that is CPU intensive, you know that having a secondary monitor is largely pointless because it'll be bogged down. With Multiplicity, you can still be working.


• It's great for working with two different OSes. Let's say, you have one machine running Windows XP and another one running Windows Vista. Multiplicity makes it easy to work with both together. A MacOS X version is about to go into beta as well.


• It's great for migration. The Pro version of Multiplicity allows users to copy and paste files between machines seamlessly. So moving documents and programs back and forth becomes very easy.


• Great for gamers. Play any MMOs? You could play two characters at once or have your game running and your IM and email going as well without worrying about something taking focus from the game.
  

Here are some things that I think especially apply to people here:

• Have you ever wanted to say play a game in one window while having instant messenger in another? Problem with multiple monitors is that many games become minimized when you click on another window but that's not an issue with Multiplicity because that monitor is on another computer. 


• If you have an MMO like WoW and two computers, it's a total no brainer.


• Every game play example I've ever posted has been done via Multiplicity where I have the game running on one machine and Front Page running on another.


• Some of you probably do some rendering. Our 3D guys rave about it because you can have Maya or 3D Studio doing its thing but be using a second computer seamlessly.

There's a demo of Multiplicity so you can try it for yourself and see what we mean.  Its home page is www.multiplicity.net.

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