Multi-Screen Setups: battle stations, afterall. Right? 😉

I’m all about multi-monitor setups – and I’m talking way beyond just a couple of screens. 😁 Sure, I’ve had my share of neck strains from less than ideal arrangements, but that’s part of the fun, right? Experimenting until everything clicks. My current pride and joy? A setup with two ultrawide monitors, a slim ultrawide, and my laptop’s screen. Yep, that’s four screens in total.

I’m firmly in the pro-MacBook camp (they just work, and no, 2024 still isn’t the year of Linux). But here’s a snag – the new Apple silicon machines, like the M1 MacBook Pro, have a frustrating limit on the number of external monitors they support. Apple’s stance? If you need more than two monitors, just shell out more cash for an ‘upgrade.’ Thanks, but no thanks, Apple.

Sure, you could go down the DisplayLink route with compatible software and adapters, but let’s be real – it’s a suboptimal solution. DisplayLink just doesn’t cut it for me.

So, What’s My Idea of Optimal?

There are some proprietary tools out there, like Logitech’s Options+ with its ‘Flow’ feature. It’s neat if you’ve got the right hardware. You can navigate across screens connected to different machines with just one keyboard and mouse, making it feel like they’re all part of one big system. They even support some sort of natural-feeling copy-paste between machines.

But, mind you – the ’natural’ part of this setup is a bit of a stretch. It can be clunky and rough around the edges.

Enter Barrier. This isn’t just Logitech’s ‘Flow’ on steroids; it’s faster, more versatile, and supports almost every OS you can think of. This open-source gem lets you control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse setup – think of it as the universal remote for all your screens. The GitHub readme is pretty much self explanatory (and you should definitely check it out 😎).

A huge shoutout to all the contributors of Barrier. Here’s to the champions of #FOSS! 🎉