[SOLVED] Laptop as client to server and its applications

[glitched79]

Hello,

I've been searching for a few hours, and no solution I've found is quite what I'm looking for...

I have a Mac Pro desktop, a Macbook Pro (circa 2007) laptop, and a fast network connection between the two within my home.

What I'd like to do is access the desktop from the laptop as if I'm actually sitting in front of the desktop, for using processor-intensive programs like video editing and the like. The laptop is just a bit too slow to edit video on its own, but the desktop is blazingly fast.

Now, before any suggests that I just screen-share or remote desktop into the desktop from the laptop - that's not quite what I'm needing. Since I'll be editing video, I'll need to be receiving the audio from the desktop on the laptop in addition to the video.

I'm familiar with client-server setups, but they all seem to end up with an application running on the client rather than on the server. I'd like to keep the software running on the server alone, with the laptop simply acting as a remote terminal for video and audio.

I'd like a solution that literally makes it as if I'm using my desktop on my laptop. Something where you enter your login credentials for a particular user account on the desktop, and then bam - you're sitting in front of the desktop.

It's 2011 - there has to be something! Any ideas?

 

[Ijack]

You could try Splashtop Remote ( http://www.splashtop.com/remote ), which claims to support audio.

 

[glitched79]

Thanks so much!

I actually went and researched the software you recommended, and I ended up purchasing it. It works great!

It's not exactly what I was looking for, but it will definitely do.

It differs from what I wanted in the sense that it's still a remote viewing implantation - whatever is displayed on my desktop monitor is displayed on my laptop. The bonus with this particular software is that it also streams audio, with no lag, which is great for video editing. This will definitely work for now.

I'd still like to figure out some way of actually logging in to the desktop from the laptop as if the laptop were a terminal connected to a mainframe. I would think screen resolution support would be better in that type of implementation, because Splashtop doesn't quite have the resolution required for my laptop's screen (which makes the video I'm receiving slightly fuzzy. Nothing crazy, just not perfect).

I just know there has to be something out there that does what I'm talking about... I'm picturing back in the 80s when there really weren't high-powered desktops - instead, there would be one huge mainframe in a climate controlled room somewhere, with terminals connected to it that were basically just monitors with a keyboard.

But thanks! I'll definitely be using Splashtop for the time being, and so far I'd recommend it to anyone else looking for something similar to what I described above.

 

[cyberkuberiah]

cheers iJack