Beginner: PC setup

[Phylo]

Copy and Past - my posts on alternative forum May 2020 - however, still relevant
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General info - of interest to those considering multiple computer systems - options available according to

• constraints of sensible necessities and requirements
• liberal sensible necessities and requirements
• liberal abandon - can afford - will have
• don't need - don't want

Priorities:

1. for trading purposes Ethernet cable connection is faster, more secure and vastly more reliable than wireless.
2. beside the VPS options a second internet connection as emergency trading backup can also serve other uses including house backup as a whole - and for family members working from home or running their own show +/- £220 / year is cheap for group peace of mind.
3. example - primary: 100Mb Fiber - no contract, terminate 1 month +/-£40/month. (no contract affords greater control)
4. example - secondary*: different provider - slower connection - £19/month.
5. the primary and secondary connection can be controlled by smart link switch that auto switches to the secondary in event of loss of the primary. (not to be confused with smart switch hub)

Def: computer-pc-box-sytems used interchangeably.

When I ran a Linux box with Window boxes I used Synergy (a paid product - and no problem paying for any decent product) - a crappy product that fucks out with some problem or the other with every updated and that uses the assurance of ongoing support as a selling point. But .... besides these irritations gets the job done.

I currently do not run Linux with Windows boxes and have used +/-7 years Input Director (free - Windows only) which has been remarkably problem free.

Update: since 21 Window installs have been relegated to hot swap disk for occasion reference/research use - Linux is the preferred OS of choice; try Mint or for a smooth transition from Windows. Hot swap disks make this a breeze.

A small problem exists of the cursor disappearing on the controller box if the cursor has focus on a controlled box during shutdown.

1. unplugging and plugging mouse or adding new mouse does not remedy.
2. an unsuitable work around remedy is to reboot the controlled box and reclaim the cursor then shut down the controlled box and shift the cursor like hell to another box before it gets trapped with the controlled box shutdown.
3. solution: the above problem has been overcome by delaying all controlled boxes shutdown by a few seconds allowing sufficient time to move the cursor to another box.
4. I have desktop reboot and shutdown shortcuts (see internet for how to do) and changed the Shortcut >> Target >> /t 0 to t/ 5. See Target: C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 5
5. all computers must have the same update version - otherwise, no connect.

Input director - https://www.inputdirector.com/

I have a DisplayFusion license but prefer Dual Monitot Tools (free) - lightweight, plain and direct to the point - http://dualmonitortool.sourceforge.net/

On 55 inch and larger screens the regular Windows cursor may be too small for some - see Big Red Cursor (free) or similar for alternative - https://www.bmyers.com/public/high_v...ty_cursors.cfm

Depending on requirements or liberal fancy TVs work exceptionally well as large screens - unless, of course, if of low quality. Of note: 4K resolution and better preferred.

A problem with multiple large monitors is the standard mouse DPI/CPI is too low and thus too slow

1. for purposes of efficiency the cursor is required to fly at lightning speed across multiple system screens.
2. trying to find the ideal mouse can become a series of wasteful purchases - however, gaming - button programmable mice tend to fit the bill.
3. the programmable middle button comes in handy to control any trading platform feature that supports hot-keys.
4. side buttons if not required can be disabled.
5. if not hard core gamer the SteelSeries Riva 110 at 720 CPI may fit the bill

For that extra luxurious touch check out - Mechanical vs Membrane vs Optical Keyboard (louder but fantastic action): https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/tech-takes/are-mechanical-keyboards-better-gaming

For those who demand total SILENCE (totally fanless) - built according to component selection order at Quiet PC (UK) or other - no experience with Quiet PC (USA)

Note: If you are tech savvy - build it yourself, but not blindly - do research - for example, optimize bottlenecks - don't have one slow component holding up the show - see Bottleneck Calculator link and others (sites change over time and get second opinions from multiple sites until you are sure what you are building) - https://pc-builds.com/bottleneck-calculator/

 

[Phylo]

Smart power points, lighting and other is no longer a wow factor and YT can enlighten.

AMAZON vs GOOGLE Smart Home Devices (echo, dot etc)

1. Regarding the above we started out with Google and soon became exasperated with Google irritating, annoying and insistent (no off) verbosity of repeating every command as if one were mentally challenged and had to be reminded what one just said.
2. This is not welcome at three 3-am if your partner or a baby is awakened by this persistent Google repeating crap.
3. Some current Google user reports claim this has been rectified with option to disable and other current user reports claim this problem still persists and purported fixes are not effective on their devises.
4. With no biases, either way, we dumped Google for Amazon and I can only report - RELIEF -> DOMESTIC PEACE -> SANITY -> BLISS !