http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/3442/
I would love to see this feature made simpler to set up, as it would be great for a lot of home users (e.g. buying a one powerful computer instead of 2 or 3 computers for the kids), as well as in schools, internet cafes etc.

Additional information:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+bug/42731
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=221174
http://netpatia.blogspot.com/2006/09/multiseat-computer-with-ubuntu.html
http://netpatia.blogspot.com/2008/01/coming-soon-multiseat-in-ubuntu-804.html
http://netpatia.blogspot.com/2008/02/multiseat-computer-with-ubuntu-804.html
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=707796
http://research.edm.uhasselt.be/~jori/page/index.php?n=Misc.DualSeatX

Work with fedora team who want to add this multiseat feature in fedora 11
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Multiseat

Keywords to avoid duplication: Multihead / multiseat / multi-head / multi-seat

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=221174

[685 votes] Solution #1: Solution to make multiseat easy


[21 votes] Solution #2: A multiple screen HID-functionality selector


[-12 votes] Solution #3: Virtual Machines


[32 votes] Solution #4: Create a multisession x servers


[-6 votes] Solution #5: New distribution


[8 votes] Solution #6: Multiseat Administration GUI for advanced users using a graph


[2 votes] Solution #7: Simplified 2 screen + 2 keyboard setup


]]> en-us Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:45:44 +0000 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:06:40 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/3442/
Voted up as far as I could (1).]]> Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:54:40 +0000
The idea was that one Monitor (on one graphics card) is used for multimedia (watching tv and listening mp3) and its X is using sepcial devices for input like a remote control. And another Monitor (on an other graphics card) can be used for working. So that I could work mith my normal Mouce and Keyborad in a clean X session while an other clean X session is just listening to the remote control (in other words: my girlfried could listen mp3 without bothering me at work on the same station). But I was never able to get this run, since a new X only starts with its own keyboard defined and I was not able to get the kernel rebuild for supporting 2 keboards.

+1]]> Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:36:34 +0000
I'm running dual seat right now. It's not as transparent as I'd like, it involves proprietary software, it's not well integrated, not set up exactly how I need it to be, and so on and so forth.

The audio's good, cause I have PA running in system mode with two virtual mono sinks. Each user gets one speaker ^_^
...but the input device handling doesn't use product hex options, both seats are one one card, when i wanted to use two, etc.

OOTB multi-seat can add a /ton/ of value to Ubuntu in the enterprise and would be a clear demonstration of its superiority over competing platforms.]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:38:46 +0000
Practically every time I tried to setup a multi-seat configuration it just failed, either with it going into failsafe X mode or just not booting up X at all.

Rob
]]> Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:31:57 +0000 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:30:05 +0000 Tue, 06 May 2008 15:38:27 +0000
Are we looking for a multi-seat manager then.
I think this should be made default but optional.]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 00:08:36 +0000
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=747897&highlight=multiseat
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=567002&highlight=multiseat
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=463149&highlight=multiseat]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 15:09:10 +0000 http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Multiseat_X
http://userful.com/products/free-2-user]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 15:48:43 +0000
http://openuserful.org/
http://openuserful.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
http://openuserful.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Multiseat
http://openuserful.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/How_Userful_Differs_from_other_Approaches]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 12:48:39 +0000
They found some commercial software to support this, but it's for Ubuntu 5.04 only (yikes!)

This needs some serious thought and resources applied.]]> Thu, 15 May 2008 16:14:06 +0000 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:57:27 +0000 http://www.ncomputing.com/

I have seen this in action.]]> Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:56:45 +0000 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:27:12 +0000 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:30:26 +0000 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 18:31:01 +0000
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NjczMg]]> Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:57:36 +0000
Part of the issue is that the "haves" do not have a need for it, they just buy more computers. The "have nots" have zero or very little computer access so they cannot learn and let alone develop this capability.

So much toxic e-waste and general waste by the affluent "haves".

Eventually it will become necessary when the tables are turned - then it will become available in the blink of an eye.]]> Sun, 21 Sep 2008 04:10:12 +0000 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:53:22 +0000 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:55:31 +0000 Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:00:59 +0000 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/272277
and (possible duplicate?) http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/13436/]]> Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:36:39 +0000
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Njg2OQ

I hope Jaunty won't be left behind and will get this as well.]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:47:53 +0000 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:04:49 +0000 When buying a new PC I always have to make a trade-off between power consumption and computing power. I estimate that my CPU and most of my RAM are idle during 90% of uptime. But sometimes I really need my powerful machine.

A multiseat configuration would make task easier: Buy a powerful PC, but my parents can work on my machine on a seperate monitor (long cables -> other room). in this case it is very easy for me to make backups of their data (samba Setup is easy but I prefer to have everything on one machine).



Has anybody tested the multiseat package which is provided in the hardy (8.04) repositories?
http://packages.ubuntu.com/hardy/multiseat

I like to assemble ubuntu machines with the Intel Graphic chipset because of the opensource "driver". I expect that restriced drivers (Nvida) might cause problems in a multiseat configuration. Can anybody confirm or deny this?]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:47:19 +0000 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:01:21 +0000 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:53:20 +0000 https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Multiseat
]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:42:40 +0000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiseat
http://wiki.x.org/wiki/Development/Documentation/Multiseat
http://wiki.c3sl.ufpr.br/multiseat/index.php/Mdm
http://vignatti.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/multiseat-roadmap/]]> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:28:16 +0000
Best regards,
Cedric]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:49:42 +0000 Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:07:44 +0000 https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MultiseatX

tweak to xorg.conf required
should be good feature to put in display settings]]> Sat, 02 May 2009 08:48:22 +0000 Sat, 02 May 2009 08:53:41 +0000
How else can we convince the "general public" that Linux in general, and Ubuntu in particular, represents the philosophy and as the better example, of having a responsible and responsive community.]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:48:18 +0000
Future releases of ConsoleKit would go a long way towards simplifying MultiSeat setups, but abstracting the user/seat away from the machine]]> Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:10:48 +0000
I'm not an expert on this field, but I think that user needs for that topic can vary extremely.

Invented Example Requirements (partially based on my needs, partially extreme examples in order to let you forget about technical details and concentrate on the matter)


2 or 3 Users wish to play a game split screen, that doesn't support split screen natively, but networking.

2 Users wish to work independently on the same screen.

2 users wish to work independently on their own screen.

2 users wish to work on the same document using their own mousepointer and keyboard foci, while a 3rd user works on its own and on its own screen.

2 users wish to have control over the same pointer and keyboard focus.




In order to allow all these situations and any other combination i'd let the user create (or select) a graph, describing the required situation.

Mathematically that graph would be
- directed
- no cycles
- every path, that goes from a source to a sink has the same length as every other path that goes from a source to a sink.
- every edge has length 1
- not necessarily connected!


The source nodes of the graph are input devices (each mice and each keyboard has its own node)

The sink nodes of the graph are output devices (each screen and if you wish each pair of speakers and each force feedback device has its own node)

The remaining nodes are entities that exist on the Operating System, such as: User, Session, Representation of Input Device (Pointer, Keyboard Focus). It also applies: each item has its own node.


Each path of the graph from a source to a sink would then consist of:

one input device -> one representation of the input device -> one session -> one user -> one output device

from the type of the item certain additional rules for the graph make sense:

- an input device cannot point to multiple representations of input devices (it makes no sense to steer 2 pointers with one mouse)

- a represenation of an input device cannot point to multiple sessions

- a session cannot point to multiple users (a session (such as a gnome session) never has multiple owners.)


Of course you could easily hide that graph from un-experienced users behind an additional user facade.

]]> Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:49:21 +0000
I think you can remove the entity "User" from my post. I think it doesn't belong to that problem domain and is already sufficiently represented by "Session".]]> Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:57:34 +0000
What needs to be done is an abstraction not just for input device reattachment,

I will eventually develop a prototype doing just that with such a graph as far as the the actual services (xserver, wayland in the near future, session handling etc. allow me to)]]> Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:29:54 +0000
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4274/powerfulmultiseatadmin.png
The whole graph belongs to a single computer system.



In this case 4 users are using the computer.

User3 and User4 share a session. They have their own mousepointers and keyboard "pointers". They are playing minecraft in their own windows together (as a substitute for the lack of native split screen support) or editing a document together. They are working on a single monitor.

User1 and User2 also have their own mousepointers and keyboardpointers. User1 additionally uses the touchpad of the computer (which is a laptop for example) in order to control his pointer. They both work independently in their own session, but User1 spans his session over one and a half monitor while user2 uses the rest, which is currently all that user needs.]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:23:58 +0000
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/5827/powerfulmultiseatadmin2.png

I'm going to file a blueprint]]> Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:53:43 +0000 + media center on tv (in other room)

i have 2 monitors + big lcd tv, 3 kyeboard (one wirele)

everythink work fine, i use media center xbmc, but multiseat i cant setup on ubuntu 10.10 x64 (i try on nvidia and now radeon) Please do some wizzard ]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:05:54 +0000 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:06:40 +0000