I solved the multi-computer-to-multi-monitor problem with a Level1Techs KVM[1]. The price (~$500 for the variant I purchased) initially gave me pause, but the longer I've had it, the happier I am with my decision.
It handles all the switching at the hardware level and thus has no perceptible lag for video or anything else. I'm able to connect a single set of peripherals, in my case, two monitors, a keyboard, a trackball, and a USB audio interface, to both my Linux desktop and a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock connected to my laptop. The L1T KVM has hotkeys[2] that let me switch between systems, with only a 1–2 second delay.
The benefit, for me, of this extra box now mounted under my desk is that when I upgrade my monitor, I only care about how good a display it is, not whether there's some perfect confluence of KVM, refresh rate, aspect ratio, display technology, etc. I find the monitor I want and let a separate IO routing layer.
Saw this mentioned at last week's product announcement and it looks compelling! I could see this slimming up my travel tech bag or maybe even it earning a place on my desk depending on the cost of their other "tool cards."
> That aside, I'm curious whether it will be more like the mac or more like the iPhone. Will we be able to "sideload", i.e. install things without papa apple's approval? Can we use a web engine that's not WebKit? Things like that will make the difference for me, not the price.
This is where the product gives me pause. I am very happy to early-adopt this thing but if I cannot "do what I want" then I will pretty disappointed as I would not expect a comparable product to enter the market for another 5+ years as all this specialized hardware experiences commoditization.
I am very happy using my Linux desktop, slightly less happy with my Linux laptop (fingers crossed the 15" Framework changes that" and am not kidding myself by holding any expectations for what the F/OSS A/VR future will look like in the near-to-mid-term.
My guess is that Apple will push A/VR into the mainstream and establish social norms with the category. Facebook and others will sell to the middle-to-bottom end of the market.
It handles all the switching at the hardware level and thus has no perceptible lag for video or anything else. I'm able to connect a single set of peripherals, in my case, two monitors, a keyboard, a trackball, and a USB audio interface, to both my Linux desktop and a CalDigit Thunderbolt dock connected to my laptop. The L1T KVM has hotkeys[2] that let me switch between systems, with only a 1–2 second delay.
The benefit, for me, of this extra box now mounted under my desk is that when I upgrade my monitor, I only care about how good a display it is, not whether there's some perfect confluence of KVM, refresh rate, aspect ratio, display technology, etc. I find the monitor I want and let a separate IO routing layer.
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[1]: https://www.store.level1techs.com/products/p/14-kvm-switch-d...
[2]: https://forum.level1techs.com/t/official-l1techs-kvm-faq-ult...