Monitor Hack: A $30 KVM Switch
Salt and pepper. Hammer and nail. Socks. All things that are better as a pair. And monitors, according to most devs at least.
Nearly all of us prefer dual monitor setups. With a single computer the dual monitor setup is relatively straightforward - connect the monitors to your computer and you’re ready to go. But what do you do if you frequently switch between computers and want to switch the source for the monitors?
One solution is a Keyboard, Video and Mouse Switch, aka KVM Switch. A KVM switch is a hardware device that allows multiple computers to share peripherals, like monitors. The downside is a quality KVM Switch with support for mulitple 4k, 60hz, USB-C monitors can cost upwards of several hundred dollars.
Enter Software Engineer Haim. Haim created a $30 alternative using a hardware/software solution with an inexpensive USB Switch and two programs he wrote (in Swift and Rust, for Mac and PC) to detect and automatically switch the monitor inputs.