Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 08:00:24 +0200 From: John Hay <jhay@icomtek.csir.co.za> To: Erich Dollansky <oceanare@pacific.net.sg> Cc: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Subject: Re: multiple screens + keyboards + X? Message-ID: <20050705060024.GA46355@zibbi.meraka.csir.co.za> In-Reply-To: <42CA10B7.1070209@pacific.net.sg> References: <20050705043127.GA44228@zibbi.meraka.csir.co.za> <42CA10B7.1070209@pacific.net.sg>
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> > > >Has anybody looked into multiple screens, mice and keyboards with X on > >a single machine running FreeBSD? So that more than one person can work > >simultaneously on it. We are thinking about using such a setup for a > >computer litteracy project in our rural areas. > > > >We have a student playing with it and he can get the different screens > >with different mice running one at a time. But we can't get them > >running simultaneously and can get different keyboards running. > > > >Any help and ideas welcome. :-) > > I have not seen more than one keyboard connected to a machine delivering > the output to different screens. Well we have been using the HP441 (www.hp441.com) in our boxes (www.digitaldoorway.org.za), but they are pretty expensive and the bigger problem is HP is slow to respond to problems and the Mandarake they ship is getting old and so it is starting to be a pain to add stuff. > What we do is a bit different but results in the same. Just take older > machines and use them as thin-clients. Every thin-client has one > keyboard, one mouse and one screen. > > One server provides then the computing power, connectivity to the > Internet, storage and all the other resources you need. > > As older machines are normally available for free, it should not be a > real problem to use this kind of setup. That is definitely an option and I have mentioned it a few times to the powers that be already. Getting hold of decent old boxes are not so easy though. Down here people seem to use a computer until it really can only be used as a door-stop. :-/ Space constraints make 5 full sized computers a problem, so one idea I have been toying with, is to use the small mini- itx boards. John -- John Hay -- John.Hay@meraka.csir.co.za / jhay@FreeBSD.org
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