Multi-Seat Support Running Well In Wayland/Weston

[halfmanhalfamazing]

Let me be the first to admit I have no idea what this thing is good for.

True multiseat is an awesome concept, saves a lot of money in hardware. Saves space. Even saves power, considering that for most users your computer spends a ton of idle time just sitting there. Consider this: 8 computer users, one single computer tower.

[Nobu]

True multiseat is an awesome concept, saves a lot of money in hardware. Saves space. Even saves power, considering that for most users your computer spends a ton of idle time just sitting there. Consider this: 8 computer users, one single computer tower.

Lets see...8 seats, times 2 devices (keyboard+mouse) = 16 usb ports minimum. Assuming you split one 4-port hub between two seats, that's 8 hubs, and a few usb extension cables. If you wanted to drop the extensions, you'd need to chain the hubs (losing a port in each except the last hub), so you'd need an extra couple hubs, or one per seat, or use 5-port hubs instead. Assuming this all worked fine, you also need an output for each monitor attached to the workstation...I guess they make graphics cards which have many ports for these sorts of applications. Assuming 5 monitors per-card, two cards minimum. Not bad.


...my head hurts thinking about the software configuration that may be necessary for this setup. D:

[Delgarde]

Lets see...8 seats, times 2 devices (keyboard+mouse) = 16 usb ports minimum. Assuming you split one 4-port hub between two seats, that's 8 hubs, and a few usb extension cables. If you wanted to drop the extensions, you'd need to chain the hubs (losing a port in each except the last hub), so you'd need an extra couple hubs, or one per seat, or use 5-port hubs instead. Assuming this all worked fine, you also need an output for each monitor attached to the workstation...I guess they make graphics cards which have many ports for these sorts of applications. Assuming 5 monitors per-card, two cards minimum. Not bad.

No need for separate USB hubs - any decent monitor has one built in, with a couple of ports at the back for keyboard/mouse, and a couple on the side for thumbdrives and the like. That simplifies the configuration, since you can easily pair the monitor/hub as constituting a single seat.

[erendorn]

That would be very nice if used with RDP, so that you could remotely connect to a chosen existing session.
Extremely useful for support (better that what's in windows, where user and support show the same pointer, so you can't show stuff on the screen without confusing the support guy).
If I could do that (easily), I'd install Linux on more family machines actually.

Also, having both easy and full access to my server's screen when I'm outside would be quite nice too.

[uid313]

Sadly i am useless when it comes to coding.

Try Python with GTK+ over GObject Introspection (GI).
Python is kinda easy. Much easier than C and C++.

[Nille]

Python is kinda easy. Much easier than C and C++.

And much much slower than C and C++

[erendorn]

And much much slower than C and C++

But then, for a GUI whose sole purpose is to add 4 lines in a text file, who cares?

[schmidtbag]

Exactly.

Linux just isn't a command line operating system anymore. Sure, it can be driven that way, but one of the reasons why (even with a paltry 1.25% marketshare) it is growing faster than other OSS competitors is because so many distros take the GUI seriously and are actually welcoming to new users.

BTW, wouldn't that new KScreen be a good GUI configuration tool for true multi seat?

...Are you both serious right now? I guess if all you two have been exposed to is Ubuntu or its derivatives, you probably don't understand what it takes to make linux what it is. But seriously, go home. Without the CLI, linux would be terrible enthusiast-unfriendly OS. It's a great way to learn how an OS works, so without it, we'd be left with a bunch of noobs who can't figure out what do when their catalyst drivers break. It's people like you why linux is blindly hated, because you don't understand the power, necessity, and speed of the CLI and even if you did, you still don't realize that it's relatively effortless to make an effective GUI using CLI tools. I could take those few commands to do multi-pointer-X and put them in a GUI tool, but they're FASTER as a group of CLI commands in a shell script.

Yes, linux is gaining commercial attention due to it's lesser dependency on a CLI, and with distros such as Ubuntu, you might not ever have to pull it out. I agree that there's no reason a GUI tool can't be made for multi-seat. But just because you have to type something out, don't act like it's suddenly a bad or useless product because you can't handle it due to lack of patience or comprehension. I don't normally get worked up about people who prefer the GUI, but your approach to the current X multi-seat is shameful in a linux perspective.

[erendorn]

...Are you both serious right now? I guess if all you two have been exposed to is Ubuntu or its derivatives, you probably don't understand what it takes to make linux what it is. But seriously, go home. Without the CLI, linux would be terrible enthusiast-unfriendly OS. It's a great way to learn how an OS works, so without it, we'd be left with a bunch of noobs who can't figure out what do when their catalyst drivers break. It's people like you why linux is blindly hated, because you don't understand the power, necessity, and speed of the CLI and even if you did, you still don't realize that it's relatively effortless to make an effective GUI using CLI tools. I could take those few commands to do multi-pointer-X and put them in a GUI tool, but they're FASTER as a group of CLI commands in a shell script.

Yes, linux is gaining commercial attention due to it's lesser dependency on a CLI, and with distros such as Ubuntu, you might not ever have to pull it out. I agree that there's no reason a GUI tool can't be made for multi-seat. But just because you have to type something out, don't act like it's suddenly a bad or useless product because you can't handle it due to lack of patience or comprehension. I don't normally get worked up about people who prefer the GUI, but your approach to the current X multi-seat is shameful in a linux perspective.

Free rant anyone?
Why would "with a GUI" mean "without CLI"?
Why would "requiring patience" make a product better?
Do you really think people hate Linux because some Linux users prefer using a GUI? That doesn't even make sense...

[89c51]

...Are you both serious right now? I guess if all you two have been exposed to is Ubuntu or its derivatives, you probably don't understand what it takes to make linux what it is. But seriously, go home. Without the CLI, linux would be terrible enthusiast-unfriendly OS. It's a great way to learn how an OS works, so without it, we'd be left with a bunch of noobs who can't figure out what do when their catalyst drivers break. It's people like you why linux is blindly hated, because you don't understand the power, necessity, and speed of the CLI and even if you did, you still don't realize that it's relatively effortless to make an effective GUI using CLI tools. I could take those few commands to do multi-pointer-X and put them in a GUI tool, but they're FASTER as a group of CLI commands in a shell script.

Yes, linux is gaining commercial attention due to it's lesser dependency on a CLI, and with distros such as Ubuntu, you might not ever have to pull it out. I agree that there's no reason a GUI tool can't be made for multi-seat. But just because you have to type something out, don't act like it's suddenly a bad or useless product because you can't handle it due to lack of patience or comprehension. I don't normally get worked up about people who prefer the GUI, but your approach to the current X multi-seat is shameful in a linux perspective.

Not everybody is interested in learning how an OS works or type long commands (or even cut and paste). Power/features is nothing if there is no "easy" way of accessing it. And GUIs are a better way for the average user (linux or whatever OS). Its not about hating it or something. Its about ease off use. And its not about the Linux user. Is about your mother or aunt.