Q: I have a macbook and a dell desktop, can I share a monitor between the two without purchasing a splitter?
A: Depends on the monitor. If the monitor has multiple inputs, you should be able to. My Dell 2001FP LCD monitor for instance has a DVI input and a VGA input. I got two computers hooked up to it via those two inputs, and I select which one to display by pushing the input selection button on the front of the monitor. If the monitor does not have multiple inputs, then the only way you can share it is to manually move the cable from one machine to the other, or buy a splitter.