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[LUG] Multiple users on 1 PC

 

HI folks,

When I was playing around with Kubuntu at work on one of our new Dell 
PCs (Pentium D 820) I got wondering something.  Would it be possible to 
run two desktops at the same time on one PC?

Now I know there have been products in the past that provide an extra 
video output, keyboard, mouse and sound for Windows, but I wondered if 
it could be done cheaply on Linux?

What I was thinking of was...

Standard PC (say a average sort of spec Pentium D or Athlon 64) with an 
ample amount of memory (say 1GB).
An extra video card (say PCI 128MB Radeon card or similar).
An extra sound card (PCI cheapo sound card)
A USB keyboard and mouse and extra monitor.

I wondered if it would be possible to run two copies of X and Gnome/KDE 
etc on the one PC so one user is on the main monitor using the main 
keyboard/mouse/sound card and a second user is on a second monitor with 
a completely different desktop using the second video card, USB keyboard 
and mouse and extra sound card?

I'm thinking something a bit like LTSP but one one machine?

Is it possible to have more than one USB keyboard and mouse on a PC and 
then specify which one is used for input?

If it is possible then I dare say it is another opportunity to put some 
of these high powered desktop PCs to a more cost effective use.

Rob

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