Multiseat Windows 11
Normando Chapman
Using the "Windows Multiple Desktop Feature" (see picture linked below in case of ambiguity) can I have one Windows User (or MS Windows Account) logged in on one desktop, and another User (or MS account) logged into another?
You can't use and see multiple users on a desktop at once, it'll violate security rules. You can use Fast User Switching though, and just a simple click will switch you to the other user account (after a quick login of course, which can be accelerated even more with Windows Hello biometric login with finger or face), and lock the current user. This is true even for Windows server, you aren't allowed to see the other users' environments
But if you have multiple monitors you can use multiple users concurrently. This is called multiseat and has nothing to do with virtual desktops. You can probably fake the multiple monitors with a KVM switch, but you still need special software to enable multiseat feature. See
The simpler solution is to use virtual machines. Just bind separate monitors and input devices to separate virtual machines and you can use them in parallel, because they're technically separate machines and can be used simultaneously
Multiple simultaneous users on the same desktop: It seems it is possible with this 3rd party software called MouseMux. Only found this site now, but it looks promising, and while still in beta it's free to use.
Let's say you have a decent PC at home. You want two people to use a PC at the same time, so just creating two user profiles on the same PC won't cut it. At first, it seems the only solution is to purchase a second PC.
Back when computers were a new invention, it was prohibitively expensive to get just one CPU. These machines used to cost much more than a car; thus, companies and universities needed to share one computer across multiple users via a multiseat configuration.
One computer could have up multiple monitors, keyboards, mice, and speakers attached to it. A multiseat app will then assign each of these peripherals to a unique user, allowing different people to use the computer simultaneously.
However, the introduction of the personal computer caused their prices to nosedive, making it viable to purchase one computer for each user. Nevertheless, multiseat computers still have a place in modern society.
If you're planning to set up a multiseat computer of your own, you have to have at least one monitor, mouse, keyboard, and audio output per user. You can connect the mice, keyboards, and speakers to your computer via USB, and in case you need more USB ports, you can use powered USB hubs to connect these devices.
However, most modern monitors require dedicated VGA, HDMI, or Display Port slots. If you're using a computer with an integrated GPU, you will have to check how many monitor output slots the motherboard provides. If it only has one port, you will have to install a dedicated video card that lets you plug in more than one display.
Additionally, you shouldn't use a laptop to set up a multiseat computer. That's because its small form factor and limited ports might cause connection issues and cooling problems. Furthermore, laptops typically aren't as powerful as their similarly specced desktop cousins.
The main advantage you get from a multiseat-configured CPU is savings, especially if you already have a powerful PC. If you have a desktop CPU at home and both your kids demand to have their own device, you can split that single desktop into two computers just by downloading a multiseat app and buying a cheap keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor.
This is even more affordable than buying a second-hand desktop computer since you don't have to buy the CPU. You also save on electrical consumption since you're only powering a single processor. And if there's only one user at the moment, they will get to enjoy the CPU's maximum capability.
Another advantage is that you'd get to save money on upgrades since you only have one desktop computer. You also get to save on software licensing for some apps, as you don't have to purchase multiple licenses since the app is installed on the same computer.
While multiseat configurations have some advantages, it has some disadvantages as well. For example, if the central computer malfunctions, all users won't be able to use any computer. So if you're setting this up for crucial office work, or if your kids are in high school and need to have access to their school work all the time, you should reconsider.
Once you've added the peripherals you need for all users, the next thing you need is to install a multiseat app. You can use a dedicated multiseat app like ibik ASTER or a virtualization engine like the VMWare Workstation Player.
Multiseat apps are generally easier to set up and use. Once it's installed, it will automatically detect each monitor connected to your computer, and it will then create an individual desktop for display. When you turn your computer on, it will automatically launch, so the users can start using their assigned computer without additional setup.
On the other hand, the VMWare Workstation Player isn't easy to set up and requires additional licenses for each software you install per user. It also consumes more computing power compared to dedicated multiseat apps.
However, it's free for personal use, so you don't have to spend just to get it running. It's also useful for other applications, like running multiple operating systems on one computer. So if one of the users needs Linux while the other user needs Windows, you can opt for this solution instead.
If you already have a decently powerful computer and need two devices for general use, like internet browsing and general productivity, you don't have to shell out a lot of money for a new computer.
Instead, get a second-hand monitor, a cheap keyboard and mouse combo, and a USB speaker, then install a multiseat app. With that, you can let two users (like your kids, or maybe your retired Mom and Dad) use the computer simultaneously.
And if you're concerned that two people will lose their data if their computer breaks, you can sign up for cloud storage, so you'll have online backups. Besides, most modern computers are tough enough to withstand years of use without breaking.
But if you're planning to use this setup for productivity, like crucial office tasks or time-sensitive deadlines, then you're better off getting a second affordable computer. After all, the savings you make with a multiseat computer isn't worth the hassle when you have two unproductive colleagues because of one broken CPU.
Basically what this question asks for, however I want to be able to asign one pair of inputs to one single window (and if possible also redirect only the applications sound output to the front plug or to the rear channel whichever is easier), so basically I seek "multiseat lite"
A "seat" consists of all hardware devices assigned to a specific workplace at which one user sits at and interacts with the computer. It consists of at least one graphics device (graphics card or just an output (e.g. HDMI/VGA/DisplayPort port) and the attached monitor/video projector) for the output and a keyboard and a mouse for the input. It can also include video cameras, sound cards and more.
Since the 1960s computers have been shared between users. Especially in the early days of computing when computers were extremely expensive the usual paradigm was a central mainframe computer connected to numerous terminals. With the advent of personal computing this paradigm has been largely replaced by personal computers (or one computer per user).
In some situations a multiseat setup is more cost-effective because it is not necessary to buy separate motherboards, microprocessors, RAM, hard disks and other components for each user. For example, buying one high speed CPU, usually costs less than buying several slower CPUs.
Support for multiple consoles in a PC running the X interface was implemented in 2001 by Miguel Freitas, using the Linux operating system and the X11 graphical system (at the time maintained by XFree86).[1] This was done using a patch in the display server to execute several instances of X at the same time such that each one captures specific mouse and keyboard events and the graphical content. This method received the name of multiseat or multiterminal.
In 2002 a Canadian company, Userful Corporation, released Userful Multiplier, a multiseat Linux software solution that enables up to 10 users to simultaneously share one computer.[3] Earlier they worked on a kernel-based approach to a multi-station platform computer, but abandoned the idea due to a problem with multiple video card support.
Other solutions appeared in 2003, such Svetoslav Slavtchev, Aivils Stoss and James Simmons worked, with the evdev and Faketty[4][5] approach modifying the Linux kernel and letting more than one user independently use the same machine. In that time, the Linux Console Project[6] also proposed an idea to use multiple independent consoles and then multiple independent keyboards and mice in a project called "Backstreet Ruby".[7] Backstreet Ruby is a kernel patch for the Linux kernel. It is a back port to Linux-2.4 of the Ruby kernel tree. The aim of the Linux Console developers is to enhance and reorganize the input, the console and the framebuffer subsystems in the Linux kernel, so they can work independent from each other and to allow multi-desktop operation. The Backstreet Ruby idea was never finished.
In 2005, the C3SL team (Center for Scientific Computing and Free Software),[8] from the Federal University of Parana in Brazil, created a solution based on nested display servers, such as Xnest and Xephyr.[9] With this solution, each nested display server runs in each screen of a host display server (e.g. Xorg) and a modification to the nested servers let each one exclusively acquire its mouse and keyboard. In 2008, the C3SL group released the Multiseat Display Manager (MDM)[10] to ease the process of installation and configuration of a multiseat box. This group, also in 2008, conceived a live-CD[11] for test purposes.
c80f0f1006