What is Digg?66 Comments
- rojaro, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Another example of "How to make money with peoples ignorance" ... X11 is able to do this out of the box since many years now (for many more than just two users). No need for extra Software.
- TheEditor1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1poet_will: this may not be the easiest, but it is kind of what you asked for: http://disjunkt.com/dualhead/
- Achra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1AFAIK, Windows will never be able to do this trick.. It is a single-user OS. However, there is good hope for all of you that are running BSD or Solaris! You can do this out of the box!
Also, linux filesystems are designed to be used by multiple-users.. So nothing crazy will happen when both users try to access the disk at a time. - luckyschop, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"this holidays?"
c'mon. - gk128, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The computers in the library at school use something like this. Everyone runs off one main computer, and the only thing you can do is use the Internet. It's funny watching kids kick each other off of AIM express....
- crythias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why do people keep saying that Linux has been able to do this out of the box for years? It's not trivial to have two keyboards recognized separately on the same box in X. It certainly isn't default "out of the box" (and, seriously, out of whose box are you taking a fully installed Linux machine with this capability?).
- crythias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Googling dual keyboard x11 http://www.google.com/search?q=dual+keyboard+x11
http://cambuca.ldhs.cetuc.puc-rio.br/multiuser/
http://disjunkt.com/dualhead/
Value add is that it's not necessarily trivial to do this. Although, I'd have to posit that if one has the ambition to purchase and is able to get a dual head card working properly in Linux, one might likely be competent enough to attempt this by oneself. - PraiseSteve, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Perhaps the title should be "Need another *Linux* PC this holiday?" Most people with only one computer aren't running Linux on it.
- FaNtAsMa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Dugg. I've been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks.
- turbotiger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There's something like this for Windows 2000/XP from Thinsoft called BeTwin. I haven't tried it myself.
http://www.thinsoftinc.com/products_betwin_info.html - timbott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I tried the betwin. Kinda slow performance, very picky about the video cards in the system, and their trial is very anoying (it logs all users out after 2h, I lost a lot of work testing out their software :-). This software is a lot cleaner. Plus it looks like they are working on starting to build an Open Source community as well
http://openUserful.org - raindog469, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0was doing this on my linux box 5 years ago/10
- timbott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hey I just found this for all those who complain that there isn't a windows version, If you don't have Linux They have a pre-built set of install CDs based on Fedora Core 4. The free 2 user works for this as well.
http://userful.com/products/ds - TaliaG, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I've just come across MiniFrame.com which is a company which provides SoftXpand, a software that turns 1 PC to 8 independent workstations.
I downloaded the trial version and was really impressed with it- it works with Windows XP.
i suggest you go and try it out! - BrianPuccio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Been doing this for years without their software under Linux.
- MyBotPiko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm surprised about the comments here, I thought digg readers where more open minded that just saying "It's for linux, why not for a OS that people use".
- vasily, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Great software, works awesome!
- crmaykish, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Pretty cool! Does anyone know if there is a Windows version?
- kiwimonk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Actually a friend of mine had a product that did this on a windows box about 6 years ago. Not too many dual head cards out back then, so for $200 they gave you the required hardware.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,54586,00.asp - navaburo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0CoLinux or VMWare is another option.
- pgphilip, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Noooo!! I had this exact idea! I can't believe it!!!!!!!
- jayrtfm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm using Thinsoftinc's Betwin at the high school I work at. WXP, single head geforce cards, belkin usb hub. Working fine with 4 monitors/stations, have nine of these systems in use. One issue is that once it's set up, any change to the mice/keyboards messes things up (easy to fix reconfigure it though). It didn't like DLink hubs, some caused intermitteant problems. Tech support is good about answering email ovenight. Usually takes them a few days to come up with an update when windows has a new patch.
- poet_will, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's what I'm talking about TheEditor. Thanks a bunch.
- BenLi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2It works fine as a VNC client and server. The on-line demo for one of our deeper products (DiscoverStation, which based on Desktop Multiplier plus FC4 plus a management layer) serves 18 VNC clients at the same time:
http://userful.com/test-drive/index-testdrive
One of our customers also just did a deployment where they used Desktop Multiplier to create six independent TN3270 terminals from one PC, saving a bunch on IBM terminal hardware:
http://userful.com/partners/case-study-swp.pdf
We've also done multi-station RDP clients based on a single PC using the Desktop Multiplier and Desktop Server technologies.
-Ben Li
Userful Marketing and PR - apotropaic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't think its about having 10 desktops performing exceptionally. Its about give 10 different users access to the internet, such as an internet cafe, school computer lab. But yea a nice 4 CPU server with RAID would be able to run a few copies of openoffice and firefox just fine.
- PathDaemon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Want Mac version!!
- jedi0utkast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Maybe they'll release it for a desktop OS one of these days.
what is your point.. mmmm last time I checked Linux was an OS and is used also on desktops...
Digg is getting to popular for its own good, now this place is full of idiots. - boltronics, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"The software is free...."
Nope! It's a non-free license. Saying "Free software app" is very misleading. - haloevo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ahhh *****.. linux only. I own Win XP. GREAT program though. Would love to own it.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"All you need is a dual head video card and an extra USB keyboard." and linux
- Disease, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Another example of "How to make money with peoples ignorance" ... X11 is able to do this out of the box since many years now (for many more than just two users). No need for extra Software."
The software is free.... - Shova, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0No digg, because header should have mentioned that pesky Linux part, which I don't think my great-grandma is unlikely to run.
Why? Because she is dead...ta-da - crythias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@apotropaic
I agree but I think the necessary hardware is much less. LTSP or Terminal Services run very well for some 15-20 users for us. People have been using Terminal Services en masse without needing 4 CPUs (in a business environment) and chugging along (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) without worrying about speed.
Honestly, two people running independent X sessions on the same box or multiple people running remote X sessions via LTSP... it's the same thing. All that the remote X servers do is render content. The processing power is always on the box providing content. Besides, once OpenOffice is opened, the next time it is run, it is faster, even if you're not the same user. Nah. Unless you're trying to seriously play head to head Doom3 on the same box, dual head system requirements are minimal. - jedi0utkast, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0piznut :
"Maybe they'll release it for a desktop OS one of these days."
what is your point.. mmmm last time I checked Linux was an OS and is used also on desktops...
Digg is getting to popular for its own good, now this place is full of idiots. - stevec5000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I don't believe it's possible to install this in Linux if you aren't a programmer.
- piznut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wow this looks gre....
Oh wait it's linux...nevermind.
Maybe they'll release it for a desktop OS one of these days. - crythias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@gutspiller
I suppose one might use VNC to grab the other session... - timbott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0All you need to type is three commands:
> su
> unzip Desktop-Multiplier.zip
> install
http://userful.com/download/install?p=dm
If that's too complex, you can download the install CDs:
http://userful.com/download/dl?p=ds and install on a spare computer, hard-drive, or partition. - ZeroLink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0We have been installing Windows versions of this using 2, 4, or 8 headed video cards and USB hubs (for kbds/mice/sound) in schools for a year. www.trsc.net/zlink.htm is the website. The comment regarding Linux Xorg and doing it yourself is exactly right. It is just really complicated. We have an installer for the Linux version also. Video runs very well on this as opposed to LTSP or Citrix/Terminal services because it is streaming directly from the video card and not being packaged as TCP/IP packet. I'm working on a MAC version.
- timbott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ooops forgot to include the link here's the page for developers: http://userful.com/developers
P.S. Also they have a version called DiscoverStation designed for Libraries, schools, internet cafe's etc. (there doesn't seem to be a free 2 user version of that, there is a free trial)
http://userful.com/products/discoverstation - timbott, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For those that are interested in getting involved in development there is a page for developers. It answers some of the statements above such as "doesn't X do this out of the box". The software is free (as in beer) and easy to use, and based on my experience (I'm using it right now) "just works" out of the box. Why would I spend time trying to patch the kernel, patch X11, etc. and still have an unreliable solution.
- Coltron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This isn't bad.
Hmm.. no windows version eh? I wonder if this could be used with Real VNC? Share a Shared computer to other shared computers. now that would be nuts :)
httP://thebrig.org - luckyschop, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0jediOutkast:
way to repost the same thing twice...and not fix your misspelling. it's 'too' not 'to.' who's the idiot now. - barbobot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1http://disjunkt.com/dualhead/
mmmmmmm Freedom - Reggin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I mean, come on. What happens when all 10 users try to access the hard drive simultaneously? I guess you could beef up the machine with multiple CPUs and a RAID but at that point I'd rather get a decent server and then have 10 terminal boxes with LTSP.
- poet_will, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Anyone care to link to a "How To" to get linux to do this without this software, for us Noobs?
- h2d2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Digg is one hell of a way to advertise your products these days...
- alm776, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Mach Speed makes a version that corresponds to one of thier motherboards and it is a piece of poo. We build them at work and they are terrible. It is designed to work with Windows. The concept is cool, but the problem is that it isn't really useful because even just using basic office applications, the machine bogs down badly.
- jermm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Apple needs to do this.
-
Show 51 - 66 of 66 discussions
Check out the new & improved 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is