using a second computer as a mere screen/monitor in X (VNC?)
- by lara michaels
Hello
My goal is to use three monitors with my Linux system. It is a laptop, so adding another video card is not the easiest solution. (I have investigated a number of such options: getting a docking station with a PCI slot, USB/Cardbus vga adapters, etc, and for the time being don't want to go that way.)
I am wondering if using an older desktop+screen I have lying around as the third "monitor" might be the easiest solution, if only there is a way to get it to work as a seamless, integrated desktop.
I was wondering if I can use VNC or perhaps X itself (?) to achieve the following:
computer A is my main computer; it has all my files, etc.
computer B is used just to display on an additional screen
keyboard+mouse are connected to computer A
use VNC or X to connect the two so that computer B shows a X screen that is just as if it was a third physical screen connected to computer A.
I don't know if the last point is clear, but what I mean is that I would like to be able to:
be able to have my window manager assign/move around virtual desktops on all three screens
move windows back and forth between the screens attached to computer A and the screen of computer B
be able to copy something in an app being shown on a screen of computer A and paste it into an app being shown on the screen attached to computer B
access the filesystem on my main computer (A) when using applications that are being shown on the screen attached to computer B
Basically, I would like X to treat computer B just like it was nothing but a third physical screen...
Is this doable? : )
~lara
