Posted by Susan G on May 25, 2001 at 15:08:57:
In Reply to: Two Computers-One Small Office posted by TexasTJ on May 24, 2001 at 13:21:17:
Your office sounds a lot like mine. I have 3 systems that I need to access at different times. Our office is a U-shape, with my computer in the left corner, my husband's pc in the right corner, and the network server pc to the right of his. My laser, scanner and fax machine run along the left side of my pc, my work space and the inkjet on the right. I do a lot of swiveling and moving my chair across the room. The scanner and laser is connected to mine, the inkjet connected to my husband's pc and the ADSL connected to the host, which networks all three, allowing access from any pc to another, as well as full access to the ADSL. The only hardware that is not networked is the scanner. My husband's pc seems to handle the graphic intensive programs better than mine does, so I sometimes use his. Otherwise, his is used for gaming and graphics, where mine is the actual work horse. We built this U-shape countertop to allow three 2-drawer file cabinets to fit underneath, as well as a few four-drawer units with pull-out plastic drawers to hold all of my supplies, paper, etc. We drilled holes for power cords to drop underneath. We built shelves overhead on one side, as well as a 5', 4-shelf unit at the end of one side. I also hung my 3-line phone on the wall to save space. This office is small, maybe 9 x 9, but there's a large arch opening going in, so it doesn't seem confining. We are running out of space, but we've utilized every inch and it is very efficient.
Now, that is only as far as the layout goes. There are programs that would allow you to work from the same keyboard where you can remotely access the other pc's, such as with pc anywhere. You have control over any pc, utilizing their programs and hard drives. But then you'll have to keep switching screen views on your monitor and this can get very confusing. I'm not that familiar with this end of it because I don't do it that way, but I'll talk to my husband about it...it sounds like it would be more convenient if you were able to run programs on other systems from your main pc.
Susan