

The Most Awesome, Least-Advertised Fedora 17 Feature - gnufs
http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/multi-seat.html

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dmayle
So, it's about adding automatic 'multi-seat' support, which is basically
support for multiples of the group (keyboard, mouse, monitor) each configured
with their own X server. (And the automatic launching of X server and
configuration).

Given that the linked hardware in question is $65, why not just get a bunch of
Raspberry Pi boards and give each user a dedicated machine for half the cost?

Now, I know that machine administration is not free, and you might argue that
managing a single multi-seat machine is less effort than handling a fleet of
$35 computers. That's a software problem, however, and solvable.

I suppose there's also the additional network equipment required ($60 for a
cheap 24 port 10/100 switch, plus cables).

There's also the fact that the 'multi-seat' ports are VGA, so can use older,
discard monitors.

Ok, it's not so clear cut, but I still think the Raspberry Pi solution is
preferrable...

~~~
mattmillr
One advantage to using a multi-seat solution is the same reason virtualization
in datacenters works so well. One user isn't going to maximize resource usage
at all times, so my spare CPU cycles are available for you when you need to
run a bursty CPU-intensive app and vice versa.

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astrodust
I remember in university having half a dozen X terminals attached to a single
Sun Sparc which wasn't even as powerful as an iPhone. One high-powered SGI
server had dozens of these terminals attached to it. That was how you
stretched your hardware budget as far as it could go.

It's kind of amusing that we've come full circle in that regard, now using a
single CPU for multiple independent sessions. At least it's not all networked
X Window any more.

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jsnell
All that Ubuntu-baiting in the post makes this seems like yet another totally
useless but demo-friendly feature used to lobby for a disruptive new way of
doing things. I'm not quite sure yet of what good systemd is supposed to do
besides breaking almost two decades of muscle memory on how to manage
services. But this post does not fill me with hope of there being any tangible
real world benefit.

It's not unlike pulseaudio with all the imaginary benefits that might be
relevant once in a lifetime, which in no way balanced out the continuing
inconvenience and pain that it's caused in practice.

~~~
emmelaich
"all that ubuntu-baiting" ?! It's mentioned in one paragraph with respect to
their decision to not use systemd, of which the poster is the author. And it's
clearly relevant.

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whalesalad
Wow. 17. I still have a Fedora 1 DVD from way back in the day. Crazy to think
that it's progressed so far!

