connecting both a pc and a mac to the internet

no...why dont you just get a router. Its so cheap these days. if you live in Canada, you can get one from Futureshop.ca for 30 bucks CAD and it also has a print server!!
Amazon.com, ecost.com, ebay.com, they always have cheap deals...

If you have two nic cards you can do it. For just a couple of bucks you can buy an exta card for your deskop. You'll also need a crossover cable (they aren't to expensive on the internet as well). Plug you internet into you pc, then hook the crossover from you other nic to your ibook. You'll have to pick which lan connection is hooked to your ibook and bridge it and share it. Your desktop will assign your ibook a local ip address. Everything should be ok then.

If you are worried about security, get a firewall. A firewall ( I suggest norton) will be as secure as you'll probably need.

But, I really suggest putting out a little more cash and getting the router. A lot of them even have built in hardare firewalls.

Yea, I just did this not too long ago.

The IT guy at my work gave me a plain ethernet cable, and I plugged it into my Mac and Compaq, and after about 15 minutes of messing around with network properties on the Mac and stuff, I was able to access the internet on both at the same time on a dialup. With that I set it up to access files from one to the other, and it worked fine.

The IT guy at work claimed this was impossible, cuz it was a plain ehternet cable, but... I dunno... maybe I'm like Neo from the Matrix.

There was a similar question like this a few days ago

routers seems to be the advice that everyone is giving


If it is Cable internet -
I personally did it using a hub (for a mac and PC)... connected my two computers into the hub, (Asente Friendly NET) then connected the modem into the hub ... then turned on the computers and started surfing without any settings changes... (note my computers are default set to get ip from server DCHP)

if you are using DSL or ADSL i think it would work the same since it is still ethernet that is connected to the computer

if your using DIAL UP... - get cable LOL just kidding man... but seriously i don't know how to do it for dial up

i don't see how the connection through the ibook would be more secure then to the PC, unless you set up a firewall on you ibook, and then made the ibook into a server.

Also if for some reason the HUB doesn't work do it using a router, as the router accounts for the single IP issue many people have been mentioning, and apparently they provide the security you are seeking.

a router would be the best way to go though you can certainly accomplish your task without one. i'd still recommend a router though. Linksys makes some great routers.