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Utter nonsense from computer illiterate guests. Use it or lose it would be my response to 'funny looks', etc. Tell them to learn something new for a change, etc. I, and many others, routinely use linux at public libraries, as well as at home, etc. :)
Give them a real education:
http://userful.com/

Or DIY:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webconverger

Ptheh. Money's overrated. Just slide a pizza under the door from time to time, and I'll do anything you want.

These days though - what use is network-computer style thin-clients ?

http://userful.com/ == I love these guys. They're here in my home town too. :-)

This was my baby: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=openlab

Cool. I spent C$80 just to ship Linux books I didn't need any more to people like you (Gareth, you out there?). My favourite gig was in Sudan ("The Greater Nile Business Venture" (TGNBV)). I enjoyed it so much, I didn't want to leave.

Consumer, singular, or consumers, plural? If mainstream operating systems didn't have a problem recognizing multiple keyboards and mice and separating their input, then one could share a desktop computer among multiple users that way. Then a personal computer could become a family computer,* and school computer labs could get away with using less hardware.

Are you suggesting Linux is not a mainstream operating system? It's had support for this since 2001. Schools in Brazil do exactly that. I run such a configuration at home. One keyboard/mouse on my couch, video plugged into my TV, and a keyboard/video/mouse in the bedroom. I can play eve online while my hypothetical girlfriend watches charmed on mythtv.

If you are suggesting that linux is not mainstream, why not just say Windows instead of "mainstream operating systems"?

This company offers software that allows you to run multiple sessions off of one computer, with separate monitors and inputs.

Their software is open source, and the larger part of their customer base are in developing nations, allowing institutions to provide more terminals at lower cost (Only needing to purchase one machine to serve, for example, 5 or more people.)

There are multiple SW solutions to do just that on Windows. This, for example.

Whether or not the machine in question would be able to run both games is another matter, of course.

Seems like "virtual" is perhaps the wrong way to label the posting and is being miss-used in the title, they are really multi-station or multi-seat desktops. Up to ten monitors and keyboards per PC. No Server Required. In fact many of the schools are in remote rural locations: http://www2.userful.com/company/linux-desktop-virtualization

Looks (from the press release) http://www2.userful.com/company/linux-desktop-virtualization like 18,000 seats have already been deployed and are running well. And the budget has already been allocated and system vendors have won the auctions to supply the hardware.

as many have already stated, MS or the MS Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will drop prices on MS software to thwart your efforts. Find places where they can't or don't play and one place is in energy efficiencies via multi-head multi-user configurations. http://www.userful.com/ wraps this up really nicely if you don't want to, or don't have the skills, configure it yourself. Not only does this provide nice energy efficiencies, it also can increase computer access with little extra money because you don't have to purchase a whole new computer for another workstation.

Look at all the computer labs and libraries first. And if there are some Microsoft apps needed, how about running Windows in a few virtual machines and installing something like VMwares VDI client on the multi-head systems. It might turn Windows into a managed application layer.

And you know energy efficiency is all the rage these days so you've got that marketing already done for you.

LoB

Thin-client while appropriate for some environments (e.g. the medical example listed above) is a poor choice for the classroom. Kids are accessing streaming video, flash animation, etc. all of which are a poor match for a thin client architecture.

The best approach is multi-station PC sharing (see Userful). this is Linux based, but allows you to have 10 monitors and keyboards per box. They have hundreds of thousands of seats installed in schools. You get the full performance of a PC, however with 1/10th the environmental impact. you also get all the advantages of thin client: lower upgrade costs, less electricity cost and (most importantly) centralized control through a web-portal.

Or a non-Microsoft solution:

http://userful.com/products/discoverstation

It seems geared toward preventing malicious public users from breaking things, so defending against non-computer-using seniors should not be a challenge.

Or instead of buying one 19" screen, and forcing two people to sit on top of eachother, you could buy several 15" screens, and allow many people to sit in comfort. link. In gist, it's a multi-headed X server, with a USB keyboard and mouse pair assigned to each head~

An application window essentially splits the screen and could easily be sized to equally split a single screen in two parts. So, considering that the application is something like VNC and VNC is connecting to a virtual machine running on your computer then you already have two computers running on one computer with split screen support. The only thing they did was implement something like the dual-head/multi-user stuff being done with Linux for that past 4 or 5 years so that the host computer has multiple input I/O channels.

go see http://www.userful.com/ and/or Google for "hp 441 linux multiuser multi-head"

We're talking about some really basic 'remixing' here and it's not THAT wiz-bang IMO. Heck, VMware and VirtualBox already use VNC for their remote GUI display of VM's. But hey, glad to see Microsoft ReSearch catching on to stuff that's been around for quite some time on other platforms.

LoB

This is one solution to your problem: http://userful.com/products/multi-station-how-it-w orks

Ob. plug:

I know we've done other kinds of deployments into schools, libraries, Internet Cafes and other places, but the tattoo shop is new to me.

Also, the dual-head video cards aren't a strict requirement. As long as you can get it onto the bus, the majority of ATI and nvidia cards with 1-4 heads will work fine.

OP: Depending on what your requirements are, you may find interest in the basic Desktop Multiplier which provides multiple workstations from each PC, DiscoverStation which includes Desktop Multiplier and a managed desktop layer, or a solution from our education partners at Omni who combine Desktop Multiplier with SLED and groupware.

Ob. plug:

I know we've done other kinds of deployments into schools, libraries, Internet Cafes and other places, but the tattoo shop is new to me.

Also, the dual-head video cards aren't a strict requirement. As long as you can get it onto the bus, the majority of ATI and nvidia cards with 1-4 heads will work fine.

OP: Depending on what your requirements are, you may find interest in the basic Desktop Multiplier which provides multiple workstations from each PC, DiscoverStation which includes Desktop Multiplier and a managed desktop layer, or a solution from our education partners at Omni who combine Desktop Multiplier with SLED and groupware.

Ob. plug:

I know we've done other kinds of deployments into schools, libraries, Internet Cafes and other places, but the tattoo shop is new to me.

Also, the dual-head video cards aren't a strict requirement. As long as you can get it onto the bus, the majority of ATI and nvidia cards with 1-4 heads will work fine.

OP: Depending on what your requirements are, you may find interest in the basic Desktop Multiplier which provides multiple workstations from each PC, DiscoverStation which includes Desktop Multiplier and a managed desktop layer, or a solution from our education partners at Omni who combine Desktop Multiplier with SLED and groupware.

Here are a few more links:
http://userful.com/
http://cambuca.ldhs.cetuc.puc-rio.br/multiuser/
http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS4818008579.html

http://userful.com/

I used this to set up 8 workstations (virtual art galleries, actually) out of two machines for a tattoo shop across town. I've followed some of the resources already linked on this topic and was never able to get such a setup working, but this software did it just fine. All you need are some dual-head video cards and USB hubs.

Linux has been much, MUCH greener than windoze for years! Take our local library, for example, which replaced 8 windows boxes with just 2 linux boxes running 8 terminals. Drastic reduction in electricity used, components, boxes, etc. Check out:

http://userful.com/

And sample customers, case studies, in public libraries, etc.:

http://userful.com/customers/case-studies

In banks:

http://userful.com/products/banking/case-studies

Linux has been much, MUCH greener than windoze for years! Take our local library, for example, which replaced 8 windows boxes with just 2 linux boxes running 8 terminals. Drastic reduction in electricity used, components, boxes, etc. Check out:

http://userful.com/

And sample customers, case studies, in public libraries, etc.:

http://userful.com/customers/case-studies

In banks:

http://userful.com/products/banking/case-studies

Linux has been much, MUCH greener than windoze for years! Take our local library, for example, which replaced 8 windows boxes with just 2 linux boxes running 8 terminals. Drastic reduction in electricity used, components, boxes, etc. Check out:

http://userful.com/

And sample customers, case studies, in public libraries, etc.:

http://userful.com/customers/case-studies

In banks:

http://userful.com/products/banking/case-studies

three comments to offer:

1) Another option is to reduce the 3 PCs to 1 PC running multi-head multi-user:
ex. http://linuxgazette.net/124/smith.html if you NEED windows then run inside of free vmware server.
If you don't want a DIY solution, there's a commercial version at http://userful.com/

2) I'm guessing your fans blow in since you said the cable hole is at the top. The cable hole should be more than just and inch or so in diameter and probably atleast the size of one of the fan holes.

3) to reduce the fan noise, mount the fans inside the box and run curved(noise baffle) ducting to the holes.

LoB

I've seen Userful's DiscoverStation and its a more complete and integrated non-thin client solution that is specifically designed for the problems inherent in public computing. Using standard PCs as a public computer invites this kinds of problems that is akin to making your home bathroom as a public restroom. DiscoverStation is a complete hardware and software solution that weathers this kind of public use.

Just use desktop multiplier

Then get a few newer boxes and run Discoverstation or look at the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) which basically pulls off the same thing. But I really don't think that's what this guy was asking. I think he was probably more concerned about how the workstations were going to be used with students. How do you interest them? That part is hard. The ones who would be interested won't know it until they try it. The ones who just want to play games, and surf for multimedia will probably lose interest quickly. In my opinion, the best use is to just offer them as Wordprocessing/Spreadsheet/Presentation tools with "light" web browsing (meaning that there isn't as much access to multimedia) and e-mail. So they are more utilitarian tools than boxes to have a lot of fun with.

Userful Desktop Multiplier (TM) v2.0 Supports Ten Displays but that is mearly a limit of the hardware, not the OS.

I found some here and here

• A review of this product in June 2004 Computers in Libraries Magazine
• Flash Demos of the product
• It also appears to include extra features like PC reservation, automatic clean up, time management, etc.

• A review of this product in June 2004 Computers in Libraries Magazine
• Flash Demos of the product
• It also appears to include extra features like PC reservation, automatic clean up, time management, etc.

• A review of this product in June 2004 Computers in Libraries Magazine
• Flash Demos of the product
• It also appears to include extra features like PC reservation, automatic clean up, time management, etc.

Nope, don't work for them myself.

There's been a few stories about Multihead Linux recently. Here's an implementation built specifically for libraries:

http://userful.com/products/library

Unlike the common 'backstreet ruby' approach, the userful stuff can handle 8-10 heads at a time, with full acceleration.

For your purposes, it's already been integrated into a library situation...

Looks like these folks run 10 stations per standard pc:

http://www.userful.com/products/1-box

Hey buddy - have one of your friends that runs a normal OS go download the Works importer (link) and convert your files for you. Or you can just go through life thinking that your writings are "lost to you," when really you're just to stubborn and/or retarded to do something about it.

Bad example.

Anyway, thanks for finally flipping to a sane reason not to use Quicktime. "It doesn't run on my OS" sounds a whole lot less lame than "I don't have the source code."

Check out Userful. These folks have built a pretty amazing public access technology using OpenOffice, etc..

Check out Userful. These folks have built a pretty amazing public access technology using OpenOffice, etc..