better multi-display support in X

[Tim Writer]

"Jing Su" <gargamel.su-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> writes:

> Hello,
> 
> I have a laptop that I sometimes want to connect an external monitor
> to and have extra screen real-estate.  So far, the only solution that
> really works for me is to restart X with Xinerama when I have the
> external monitor connected and restart X again when I disconnect to be
> on-the-go.
> 
> This has really frustrated me because it's just not very friendly or
> smooth.  I've tried running in dual-screen mode (having two different
> X screens) but it's annoying to not be able to juggle and move windows
> around.  It's still the case then when I connect or reconnect I have
> to restart the apps that I want to move.
> 
> Googling hasn't turned up many useful results for me on this topic.
> Has anyone else had better luck in terms of little utility programs or
> configs which make this a more bearable experience?

xrandr combined with various dual head setups (Xinerama, radeon MergedFB,
ATI fglrx Big Desktop, or nVidia TwinView) _may_ do what you want.  I
generally just switch between the builtin flat panel at 1024x768 and an
external flat panel at 1280x1024 (with my notebook closed) so YMMV. Note
that the proprietary ATI fglrx drivers have (some) hotplug support. nVidia
may have something similar.

-- 
tim writer <tim-s/rLXaiAEBtBDgjK7y7TUQ at public.gmane.org>                                  starnix inc.
647.722.5301                                      toronto, ontario, canada
http://www.starnix.com              professional linux services & products
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