07 November 2006

DualingMacLaptops


DualingMacLaptops
Originally uploaded by Chris Bailey.
This is the frequent configuration of my desk in my home office lately. That's a MacBook Pro sitting on top of a PowerBook. I've been doing some things lately where the MBP is a big advantage, so have been bringing it home, even though I have the PowerBook to use at home. The PB's days may be numbered.

Note, I don't have them both on (i.e. fully awake) at the same time. The MBP is currently on and in use, but the PB is sleeping. I also use the handy smcFanControl to ensure the MPB's fans are cranked up and keeping it nice and cool.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Am I a complete idiot? I never saw any option to keep my MacBook Pro running after the lid was shut... Is that some 3rd-party utility, or did I just miss the option in the System Preferences?

Chris said...

It's a small trick, in that it only works if you have an external monitor, AND a keyboard or something plugged in via USB. You also have to have it plugged into an AC outlet, it won't do this on battery. So, as long as it's plugged into AC, and a monitor is there, then when you plug in the USB keyboard/mouse, it will wake up and display to the monitor.

Anonymous said...

ahhh yes. I don't have a USB keyboard handy(what am I, in the year 1998?), so that'll explain how I never found that behavior.

But thanks for the tip on the fan utility!

Chris said...

Note, it doesn't have to be a keyboard - a mouse, or probably anything USB will work. Of course if it's not a keyboard, you'll need another way to work on the machine. I use Synergy at work, which lets me use a single keyboard and mouse with multiple machines (and monitors). It's similar to a KVM, but different in that you aren't sharing a monitor. In this case, I just plug a spare USB mouse into my laptop to turn it on, but keep it closed.