Paul said:
Yes, you can do this.
An implementation was built by Jetway. I'm not sure at this point,
whether Jetway is selling this stuff any more or not.
Jetway Magic Twin
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2025
The basic idea is, the video card has two display channels,
and it is possible to partition the display, so that each
user has their own display.
But this is not a configuration which is generally available.
Jetway provided some software, to make this work. I don't
think there is anything special about the hardware.
This is the MagicTwin software manual, so you can see their claims.
Jetway owns the Machspeed trademark.
http://www.machspeed.com/manuals/MAGIC TWIN/MAGIC TWIN SOFTWARE XP.pdf
Paul
For one user to be able to sit at two different tables and
work, you can set the Display control panel to "clone" or copy
the display, so both monitors show the same information.
http://www.weethet.nl/images/pc2tv/nvidia_clonemode.gif
You would need a long cable, to run the VGA signal to another
room. That can degrade the signal quality, and you may be
restricted to using lower display resolutions while doing so.
Long cables may only have RGBHV signals, and be missing
the serial connection for DDC. (Install the "monitor driver",
to compensate for the missing DDC signals.) The cables here,
claim to support UXGA (1600x1200), so maybe this would work.
http://www.av-cables.net/VGA-component-video/vga-cables-3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UXGA
USB cables can be extended with "active" USB cables. This
is how you could run the keyboard and mouse to another room.
You can connect up to five of these in a chain. (Read the reviews
for more comments - not all USB active cables work well when
chained together.) Each cable has a "one port hub" at the end
of the cable, which functions as a digital repeater. If you use
a USB hub at the end of the cables, then only four cables
can be used (20 meters or 60+ feet or so).
VANTEC 16 ft. USB Active Repeater Cable Model CB-USBARC - Retail $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232008
http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5#q4
It 60+ feet of USB cable is not enough, you can use a wireless
keyboard and mouse, and place the wireless dongle on the
end of the 60+ foot cable. And that would buy perhaps another
20 feet or so.
To do all of this completely with wireless technology is also possible,
but at great expense. Using wires to make the connections
is a lot cheaper, and should give consistently good results.
Wireless solutions may be affected by other wireless interference,
depending on the frequencies involved.
With two monitors set to "clone" mode, two keyboards and two mice,
both work tables will be controlling the *same* WinXP session at
the same time. Only one user should be using their keyboard and
mouse at one time.
The Jetway solution allows two users to have completely
*isolated* sessions, so that is the difference between the
two approaches. Just using "clone" mode, there is only
one session, being controlled by two display stations.
Paul