Can a mac mini be set up to run two separate users at the same time?

Question

I work for a middle school and we need to purchase 20 computers that will just be used to run internet apps. Though we have all Macs, we don't have a big budget and for this one use only, we are condsidering purchasing inexpensive HP all-in-ones for about $450 each. However, I was wondering if a Mac Mini can be first set up with 2 partitions, install the OS on both partitions, then run two different users, with two separate monitors and keyboards, at the same time? This way, instead of purchasing 20 Windows computers, we could purchase 10 Mac Mini's (and displays) and save money, and still be supporting just one OS throughout the campus.

Answer 1

If you setup a server, as in the Mac OS X Server Installation, pages 23ff show configurations, you can have multiple users, but they must all have computers.  Some installations can be done with dumb terminals but that is not what you seem to want.  Unix machines do have a multiple simultaneous user capability but you still have to have a computer for each user, again, not what you seem to want to do.  Right now there are two other users logged in on my Sun workstation on the desk behind me...they are logged in because I permit them to do so.
And last night for an experiment I connected my iMac and MBP by ethernet wire, logged in on the iMac, then logged in on the MBP and from there on the iMac...but I set up the network to permit that and then disabled it again.  You can create security holes doing things like this.
As dwb points out switching from Apple to PC equipment is a false economy that lures in administrators.  In our county school system we had a superintendent who hired a good friend...who had PC-industry ties.  Decided to remove all Apple equipment from the elementary schools and switch to PCs.  It wasn't long before they ended up going on a 4-year cycle of "refreshing" the equipment, i.e., completely replacing all hardware in every school on a four year cycle.  Since my wife was a Media Specialist, aka librarian, and responsible for technology in her school, every four years she had to develop a complete school map of where each teacher wanted the computers in their classrooms, complicated by where the technicians predetermined the locations of the network wire drops, of course.  then teachers get shuffled over the summer and all the plans are for naught.
Anyway, there really isn't a solution to your problem except to buy a large number of computers and let each student use one and have them networked to a server, print server, printers, etc.  This is not inexpensive and cutting corners will only cause headaches for you.