How can 2 users use a PC simultaneously?

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How can 2 users use a PC simultaneously?

Post by nakamichi »

I wonder,is it possible?
I want,for example to put 2 mice via USB and browse and organize some of my files,surf the net or play videos,while a friend of mine browses his own files,plays music with Winamp,or a game on Snes9x.
All of this simultaneously.On 1 monitor,on 1 computer.

How to make 2 users use a same machine at once for their own needs,but not install another terminal (another monitor,case,CPU and mouse)?

Can LINUX do this? I think you can't do anything like this in Windows XP.
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Post by nakamichi »

So,I'll have my own mouse pointer,my friend will have his own with a different look.
The window priorities will be gone,so both of us can work their own job all at once.
And 2 keyboards,if needed :)
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Post by Matt »

Wow that sounds like it would get confusing to me. Anychance of you using 2 monitors?
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Post by AmadeusZull »

linux no, but a beefy unix environment could easily handle it if it supports multiple user monitors.
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Post by nakamichi »

If I have a graphics card with TV out,can I do it then? (1 monitor and 1 TV)

Also,can I do it with Windows XP? (with 2 monitors,on 1 box)
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Post by AmadeusZull »

but u can get two mice and keyboard working in conjuction with each other?

i could see this working on linux with their mulitple desktop view feature. but doubt they ever attemtped this.
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Post by sixteen-bit »

AmadeusZull wrote:i could see this working on linux with their mulitple desktop view feature. but doubt they ever attemtped this.
It's been done before with 4 users / screens / mice / keyboards. I'll try digging the URL.
Commercial solution: http://h40058.www4.hp.com/products/desk ... _info.html
Homebrew solution: http://developers.slashdot.org/article. ... 55&tid=106

It's also possible with windows XP : http://www.bit-tech.net/review/327
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Post by nakamichi »

Hmmm...but that requires 2 GFX cards of which one must be AGP,and one PCI :(
How can I get this to work with only 1 graphics card,1 monitor and 1 TV as a second monitor via TV-out in Windows XP?
has anyone done this?
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Post by BlackAura »

How can I get this to work with only 1 graphics card,1 monitor and 1 TV as a second monitor via TV-out in Windows XP?
As far as I know, you flat out can not do it under Windows without special hardware/software. Windows is deisgned to run one (and only one) GUI session at a time, with one mouse, and one keyboard. If you plug in more than one mouse, or more than one keyboard, they simply act as one keyboard.

Oh, and running two users at the same time on Windows XP is in violation of the EULA. Only one user is allowed to use it at a time.

You can't really do that with Linux either without a second graphics card, becuase you would need to run two X servers. Each X server requires direct access to it's graphics card. Since X was designed to run as just another program, and isn't special in any way compared to any other program (unlike the Windows GUI), you can easily run two copies, each with it's own keyboard, mouse, and graphics card. You'd need at least one USB keyboard and USB mouse though, or two if you already have a USB keyboard and mouse.

If you have another computer anywhere around (no matter how old and crappy it is - the older the better, actually), you could just do it over a network. It's probably easier all around.
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Post by Prophet][ »

My mate recently got a cool PC, its one of these multimedia comps but its very good. You can have 2 users on it using windows, it has 2 moniter outputs and a special ps/2 connecter, which when used with the y cable it came with you can have 2 keyboards and mice hooked upto it. We tried it out both playing battlefield, it runs a bit slow but its not bad for what its doing. Oh, and it runs under winXP with special software you need to install.

So it can happen.
Last edited by Prophet][ on Tue Aug 10, 2004 6:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Prophet][ »

My mate recently got a cool PC, its one of these multimedia comps but its very good. You can have 2 users on it using windows, it has 2 moniter outputs and a special ps/2 connecter, which when used with the y cable it came with you can have 2 keyboards and mice hooked upto it. We tried it out both playing battlefield, it runs a bit slow but its not bad for what its doing. Oh, and it runs under winXP with special software you need to install.

So it can happen.
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Post by Prophet][ »

Edit: Wow, triple Post
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Post by perry »

Just wondering but why on earth would you wanna do it with only one monitor ? You'd just piss each other off permenantly.

Or was you hoping for split screen ? :lol:
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Post by nakamichi »

Because we want to surf the net separately on 1 PC.That's why.We have only one PC and must work both at the same time.
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Post by mikelomax »

nakamichi wrote:Because we want to surf the net separately on 1 PC.That's why.We have only one PC and must work both at the same time.
i would suggest taking turns, but since you must work at the same time, i would suggest getting another PC.
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Post by sixteen-bit »

BlackAura wrote:Oh, and running two users at the same time on Windows XP is in violation of the EULA. Only one user is allowed to use it at a time.
Would you not technically have the system running under one user then switching over to another user, locking the first user out then vice-versa?
You'd just be switching really quickly and for very short periods of time. :wink:

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Post by az_bont »

sixteen-bit wrote:Would you not technically have the system running under one user then switching over to another user, locking the first user out then vice-versa?
You'd just be switching really quickly and for very short periods of time. :wink:
Isn't that how multi-tasking works? Ther computer just switches between programs thousands of times a second so that the end user doesn't notice it?
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Post by ninja »

I could forsee one great problem that hasnt even been thought of yet. If your both using it at the same time, that means only one mouse cursor. Youd always be fighting over it. Perhaps you could run a virtual workstation full screen on a 2nd monitor, but you would still have the issue of the focus of the various windows you both would have open being lost to each other.
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Post by sixteen-bit »

az_bont wrote:Isn't that how multi-tasking works? Ther computer just switches between programs thousands of times a second so that the end user doesn't notice it?
Yeah.
You'd technically only be serving one user at a time and they'd be taking turns at using the CPU / OS. Just really damn short turns :)
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Post by BlackAura »

Would you not technically have the system running under one user then switching over to another user, locking the first user out then vice-versa?
Actually, you can't. Windows XP will not let multiple users log in at the same time.
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