What is the state of Multiseat in Linux today?
I currently have a PC running Windows 11 that my S/O and I use multi-seated with Aster Multiseat. However, we're both equally sick of Windows and are interested in switching to Linux.
However, all the information that I can find on multiseat in Linux are forum posts and unfinished wiki entries for Ubuntu and Fedora, and they all seem to be from around 2008-2012.
We're about to upgrade our PC to support two RTX 3060s and a Ryzen 9 (of course, including the usual two monitors and sets of peripherals).
Can Linux (preferably Fedora, as it's my favorite distro so far) easily support multiseating?
Will there be any performance issues using this method?
Is it possible to isolate applications per user? (Aster Multiseat doesn't do this, so sometimes an application can detect another instance on the other user and refuses to start...)
Thanks in advance.
What advantage do you get using one PC in this way instead of two?
Less resources needed, less physical space needed, less power consumption, no need for a network, don't need to maintain/update multiple systems, etc.
You still need all the physical space that two PCs require except for the box which is only a small part of it. You still need all the peripherals for two people and once the 3060s are in it the power difference will be negligible between one or two PCs. On top of that you have all the inconvenience and problems that using in multiseat brings. Network gear is dirt cheap and maintaining two PCs is less hassle Vs this too.
Personally I think at the end of the day you're better off with two PCs even if the second one is a cheap second hand one. Especially since I assume the GPUs mean they're planning on gaming on it.
Not only for saving money, as when we upgrade the PC, I'm going to be able to sell off most of the components that get replaced, but space savings is also a big part of it. We're going to be buying an RV to live full time in soon, and the less space it takes up, the better.
Plus, we have used it in this configuration for almost two years now, and it has worked without issue (EasyAntiCheat doesn't play nice, but we don't play many games that use it anyway). And honestly at this point, I kind of enjoy the challenge lol
You could have a look at ex-business slimline PCs or laptops if two cases are out of the question. They'll take up less space overall than the typical PC case and are usually pretty power efficient. The former can also be upgraded if you are careful with what you choose and find the right slimline GPUs to fit in said cases. This is what I used to do for my kids particularly with ex-Dell PCs.
The thing is that you're not going to get a whole lot for your old parts, certainly not more than the benefit you gain by having a second PC, as by the time you sell it the parts would have depreciated in value quite a lot. But, it's neat I guess that PCs allow you to do stuff like this even if it would result in a bit of frustration.
I wouldn’t go for anything that needs SFF gpus. They are expensive and have shit performance for the money.
I have seen this used in school situations with 3+ seats per PC.
that can add up when dealing with a dozen+ PCs.
For home use, not much a benefit, but I did have it setup years ago for the grandkids.
When you have like 30 kids in a class and a limited budget then yeah, makes a lot of sense to come up with solutions like this.
For these two though if I knew them I'd just straight up give them a second PC for free to save them the hassle. You can do amazing things with refurbished PCs when budget and space constraints are a problem.
I mean, you save money by not having to buy another PC...
They practically are though once they upgrade it with two 3060s and the CPU.
It's kind of romantic. Thinking of all the hoops they had to jump through to get this intimate setup just right brings a tear to my eye.