Can VNC server be put into a read-only mode

There are a few ways I can think of.

1. Get or enable a second monitor, but don't have one connected.
2. Get Desktops and run the programs on one of the other desktops.
3. Install VirtualBox or something similar and run a virtualized PC in there.

As I said in my comment, options 1 and 2 prevent two people from using the PC, which may be OK for your situation, but are easier to accomplish. Option 3, running a Virtual PC has the benefit of being able to use the PC while someone is on the iPad working.

Strike out option 2 as it will show on your monitor as well.

You don't need to run VM's for this though there are advantages to doing so, mainly security.

However, VNC servers are associated with an X-Windows display. Normally, a client workstation will only have a single X display and you start the VNC server with:

vncserver :0

To associate VNC with the desktop X session.

If, however, you run multiple X sessions, you can change the 0 to another number. You can then start multiple VNC servers. Remember though that X displays take a fair bit of resource so test carefully.

This is possible because UNIX systems are inherently multi-user. It was common before the advent of cheap PC's, to run many X sessions on "terminals" from a central UNIX server. VNC is a slightly more efficient method of exporting the X session over the wire.

Here are some links to effectively run multiple X displays and associated desktops:

• Running multiple X sessions
• How To: Multiple X Servers simultaneously
• How To Run Multiple X Sessions Without Virtualization