Two Keyboards

Two keyboards and two mice on one computer helps pairing, especially for non pairers. It sounds like there would be conflicting use, but peripheral vision seems to handle it. The 2nd set can use USB. Thanks to JoshuaKerievsky for pointing it out.

Experiences? Suggestions?

Works great in my office at Veeco Instruments. Seems less threatening to people. More space. More control. -- KelleyHarris

Works great at Asynchrony Solutions (downtown Saint Louis, Missouri). Makes it easier to switch control between pair partners -- particularly when partners aren't very willing to give up control. One gets "Drunken Mouse Syndrome" both partners try to control the mouse. (And it gets much worse very quickly if anyone is clicking!) So one must learn to be at least a little bit sociable. ;-> -- JeffGrigg

You develop a protocol for pairing:

driver and navigator switch very often
navigator can _sometimes_ mouse while driver types
navigator says "let me drive" to permanently drive, and says "me drive" to type or click one thing, before the driver resumes
the mind-meld should be so complete that the driver and navigator _could_ switch at any time, and one takes up where the other left off
to practice enforcing this, get a three-minute egg timer, and switch whenever its sand runs out
a switch means unconditional surrender. The new driver may delete the former driver's work and start doing something else! (Commenting it out is more polite)

However, the absolute ideal would be dual overlapping desktop views, where two mice and keyboard focuses share the same space. Pairs would switch by hitting a new keystroke that swaps each keyboards' control points. I will be founding a consortium to appoint a committee to look into setting industry standards to address the problem, shortly. Until then, the children's cobblers always get the worst shoes! --PhlIp