Making Dual Monitors Work Like Two Entirely Different Computers

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

So I have, for the first time, seen how dual monitors work. Currently, I am using extended display because I need two or three separate things visible to me at a time. The system works perfect for me and it will increase my efficiency.

But a kind of question comes into my mind. Is it possible that we make dual monitors work like two entirely different computers. Let me elaborate on this. Suppose there are two friends in a room and only one CPU. But there are two monitors, two keyboards and two mouses (or mice!) available. Can we make some sort of arrangement for them so that each of them can use the processing power of the same CPU to do their own work separate from one another.

I spent some time thinking about the problem but unfortunately, I don't have enough technical skills to get the job done. So I am posting my observations and theories and proposals and etc etc here so that technical people may contribute to it and help me make this possible. I hope there is already some solution available, in shape of a software pack. But if there is any, I don't know about it and somebody had to tell me.

 

When we connect both the monitors to the computer. What options do we have?

According to my knowledge, we have the following options

Duplicate view

Primary only

Secondary only

Extended View

When we go to the extended view, there appears some hope that yes, the system can be developed. When look into the details, the following problems need to be solved.

 

Keyboards and Mice to work separately from one another:

Normally, when you connect two or more keyborads to a single computer, hitting capslock on any of them will lightup the capslock light on all the keyboards. This means that the keyboards behave as one single. But in this problem, we need to make the keyboards work separately. The only solution (or idea of solution) that I can think of is making usb settings in such a way that specific USB hubs work with specific applications. I don't know whether it is possible or whether there are other better ways of doing this but this definitely can create a way of solving the problem. For example, suppose we set USB1 to work with firefox and USB2 to work with internet explorer. So that peripherals attached to USB1 will not work with IE and peripherals attached to USB2 will not work with firefox.

In this way the first person can attach his keyboard to USB1 and stick to firefox for his browsing needs while the second person will attach his keyboard to USB2 and stick to IE for browsing. In this way they can do their stuff separately from one another without interfering.

 

Marking screen boundaries:

It is another major problem which needs to be solved. In normal extended display, the mouse can easily go from one screen to other, and this is necessary for working with extended displays. But in our case, we need to separate the displays in such a way that interference does not occur and cursor on a screen remains on that screen.

I cannot think of any solution to this problem, so folks, its time to test your creativity.

 

Because I haven't been able to use such a system, so for now, I can't think of any other issue. Anyone is welcome to contribute to this topic in a constructive way.

Thanks!

[yordan 10]

Depends on which operating system we are talking.Usually, most of computers have several text terminals and one graphic terminal.Linux or Unix systems are such kind of computers.An ascii terminal is able to enter command-lines only. On X86 systems they are traditionally connected to the com1: or com2: portAnd usually there is only one graphic terminal, which has a mouse, a keyboard and one or several displays.If you want to share a single cpu with severeral persons, you must have a graphic terminal which will have the mouse and the keyboard, there are several solutions for that kind of need, one of them is using a windows server and several graphic terminals.Unfortunately, most of users don't appreciate such terminal without any power on their table.You can also use a very small PC running VNC or Crosoft remote desktop toward a Crosoft Terminal Server having a powerful cpu.Otherwise, the traditional situation is that a system is either a graphic server or a graphic client, which means that it has a single keyboard-mouse device, another guy with another keyboard and another mouse has to enter through Ethernet, through a computer or a terminal.

[manuleka 0]

dual monitor/display can increase working efficiency... I've been on Dual display (extended Desktop) for a few years now! So use to it that at home i don't realize that i a lot of times i don't really need the second monitor....

[yordan 10]

dual monitor/display can increase working efficiency...

The starter topic question was : two persons on two keyboards on the same cpu. Not a single person on two displays.

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

Depends on which operating system we are talking.Usually, most of computers have several text terminals and one graphic terminal.
Linux or Unix systems are such kind of computers.
An ascii terminal is able to enter command-lines only. On X86 systems they are traditionally connected to the com1: or com2: port
And usually there is only one graphic terminal, which has a mouse, a keyboard and one or several displays.
If you want to share a single cpu with severeral persons, you must have a graphic terminal which will have the mouse and the keyboard, there are several solutions for that kind of need, one of them is using a windows server and several graphic terminals.
Unfortunately, most of users don't appreciate such terminal without any power on their table.
You can also use a very small PC running VNC or Crosoft remote desktop toward a Crosoft Terminal Server having a powerful cpu.
Otherwise, the traditional situation is that a system is either a graphic server or a graphic client, which means that it has a single keyboard-mouse device, another guy with another keyboard and another mouse has to enter through Ethernet, through a computer or a terminal.

I don't understand the technical part of all this. You may laugh, but believe me I don't understand what you meant by "most computers have several text terminals and one graphic terminal". Can you please elaborate on this a little. I mean I have used linux only one (for about half an hour) and the terminal there was a thing like dos or command prompt.

As far as the operating system go, I am on windows 7 so can you talk about how to make this possible on windows 7 OS. You said that if I want to share a single cpu with several persons, I must have a graphic terminal. What does this mean? Does windows 7 have a graphic terminal?

In this case, I am not concerned about power. If the system is able to just do browsing and run word, it is more than sufficient. I think if a triple core CPU (from AMD) is distributed, it should be more than sufficient to do that kind of basic stuff. I was assuming that distributing the CPU power in that way to two persons would be just analogous to running multiple applications. For example as I mentioned in my first post, if one person uses firefox and other uses internet explore, I assume that it won't take any more CPU power than running the two applications together on a single screen. Please correct me if I am wrong and elaborate on this.

You said that one solution is to use a windows server and several graphic terminals. Is this possible on windows 7 or I will need to shift to something like windows server 2003 etc.

Also please explain what is crosoft remote desktop and crosoft terminal server. And what are the minimum requirements for tools like these to be employed?

I know I have asked you lots of questions but I desperately need this thing to work. The actual problem is that my brother's CPU is dead and he cannot buy another one right now. So if I can make this system work, it will be a great surprise for him.

[yordan 10]

You said that one solution is to use a windows server and several graphic terminals. Is this possible on windows 7 or I will need to shift to something like windows server 2003 etc.

 

Citrix sells such solutions. They sell a device which has almost nothing except a keyboard, a mouse and a display, which is able to connect to your cpu box through the citrix services.

Have a look here to see more about thin clients : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_client

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

The problem is that I need to solve this without buying any hardware. I can manage to buy some software though. But the solution should be entirely based on software. Is this possible.

[yordan 10]

If the other guy happens to have a PC, he cans share your cpu, working only on the second display for instance, only installing vnc server on your cpu box, or configuring Windows Terminal Server on your cpu box.Would this solution be usable for you?

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

The other guy has only a monitor. But I didn't understand what you mean.

[manuleka 0]

The starter topic question was : two persons on two keyboards on the same cpu. Not a single person on two displays.

sorry my bad... sounds like a pretty tricky scenario... never really thought of this but i guess will take a bit of googling and research to find a software that can handle such case (if it exists)

what kind of hardware are we talking about here anyways?
Edited December 21, 2011 by manuleka (see edit history)

[yordan 10]

what kind of hardware are we talking about here anyways?

That's the real problem. Seems that the hardware is a standard PC with a single mouse/keyboard and two displays under Crosoft Windows.
So we need a way for adding a second keyboard, a second mouse associated with the second keyboard, both clicking and inkeying on the second display. So, a single PC with two persons on two keyboards and two mices simultaneously working on two different displays.

[manuleka 0]

would this be possible? on a standard PC? sounds like a pretty big job to have two users with separate input/output channels running on one PC!! even if possible with correct softwares, i think the PC would be quite slow... unless both running terminal/text mode

[yordan 10]

That's why I would rather suggest that the second guy should be on a separate PC, remotely connected to the first one through vnc or Terminal Server.

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

I did quite a lot of research and found that micrososft has a solution for this. The OS they designed specifically for this purpose is called Windows Multipoint Server 2011. I haven't tried it yet because I don't want to change my OS but still I have this option available to me.

[manuleka 0]

seems quite a solution... maybe try dual booting with Multipoint Server and... what sort of hardware are you looking at applying this on?