I found a nice litle app called synergy today http://synergy2.sourceforge.net Its an open source app that allows a single main computer to control others if each computer has a dedicated monitor. since most of the bit-tech readership probably has at least 1 old setup next to their new one, I thought I'd post it here.
It's cross-platform too. At work I run the server on my dual screen Debian workstation and the client on my Windows laptop - works great
I have been using it for a little while now, although i have a bit of a problem at home because our router keeps assigning my desktop different IP addresses so i have to change them all the time on my laptop... hey ho. Is there anything that would let me use my laptop screen as a 2nd screen for my desktop?
You can set your windows Ethernet settings from automatic ip to manual. Then your ip won't change anymore. You could probably try and get some VNC softare to do that for you, like UltraVNC. But it would just be streaming the video signal over your lan, so it wouldn't be very fast, and wouldn't be good for too much.
Thanks. I have 100Mb lan, and the only things on it are my two computers (internet and my mum's PC are wireless, my laptop is giving my desktop internet over the lan as I don't have a wireless card)