multiple GUI consoles?

[therealseebs]

So, there's fast user switching. And there's multi-monitor support. And if you are using apple remote desktop, you can have a remote user logged in as a different user.

Is there any way to just have two displays be distinct consoles? Like, associate a particular keyboard and mouse with one display, and another keyboard and mouse with another, and be able to log in separately on the two consoles?

I mean, I could hook the second display up to a separate computer, then use remote desktop access, but that requires a second computer and is sort of annoying.

 

[ScoobyMcDoo]

No.

 

[therealseebs]

It is always disappointing to realize that I had a feature in the 90s that I can't get today.

It appears that what I want is doable with remote desktop access, which would be a tolerable approximation, but would require a second machine. (I'd still get the benefit of having both sessions on the same hardware, so less hassle for synchronizing files.)

It seems weird that, given that they have the support for multiple simultaneous GUI sessions, they don't have a way to do it on actual hardware.

 

[ScoobyMcDoo]

It is always disappointing to realize that I had a feature in the 90s that I can't get today.

It appears that what I want is doable with remote desktop access, which would be a tolerable approximation, but would require a second machine. (I'd still get the benefit of having both sessions on the same hardware, so less hassle for synchronizing files.)

It seems weird that, given that they have the support for multiple simultaneous GUI sessions, they don't have a way to do it on actual hardware.

I think the feature does not exist because not many people would use it. Sure there were some obscure OS's on PCs that would do this in the 90s, (PC-MOS), but it was more of a terminal type interface. We had the short-lived stint of X-Terminals back in the 90s to, but never really caught on.

If you have a need for synchronizing files, either use a file server, or a service such as dropbox or iCloud drive.

 

[therealseebs]

Oh, I could do stuff like that, but it seems like a significant overhead when the one machine has plenty of power to run the displays and input devices.

Huh. I wonder whether I could get an Apple Remote Desktop client full-screen on one display, and just ADR to the same machine.

 

[therealseebs]

Turns out you aren't allowed to use remote desktop to talk to the local machine, even though a copy running on another machine would be able to open a separate session.