2 Displays and 2 Workspaces With Linux and X? 460
Borov writes "I'm planning to buy a second monitor in near future and I was searching for ways to configure it under Linux. It seems there are two main ways: 1) to have one 'big' desktop, which means I have single workspace — changing virtual desktop switches both monitors or 2) to have separate X sessions for each display — which means I have separate workspaces, but I can't move applications between them. I need something in the middle — a separate workspace for each screen, so that I can have independent virtual desktops on each screen, but still have the ability to move applications between monitors (no need to strech one app across both of them). I've read that some tiling window managers can do this kind of thing, but I'd rather go with 'classical' window managers, like Openbox/Gnome/KDE or similar."
Use a specialized Window Manager (Score:1, Interesting)
The standard Window Managers (kwin, metacity) just don't cut it with many displays.
I recommend trying out Awsome [naquadah.org]
It's a bit difficult to get used to a first. But it really is the best WM for multiple monitors I have ever used.
4 monitors - one desktop - here's how (Score:3, Interesting)
I run one big desktop with 12 virtual desktops - then for the applications I want to stay available when I move from one desktop to another I simply right-click on the icon in the upper-left corner (of most windows - Chrome beta doesn't have one for some reason) and select "Always on Visible Workspace" - then it sticks there no matter which workspace I'm on.
Otherwise you could set up the VNC X-server and use VNC-viewer to log back in to the local system and use that window as your second, separate desktop.
Re:Very good question. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Xpra and Xmove are both deprecated (Score:1, Interesting)
Not sure why you think that. Xmove is dead since 1997 but Xptra is actively maintained. Last edit I found is Nov 10, 2009. In what way does that point to it being dead?
Read the original post closely (Score:3, Interesting)
Linux isn't all that hard to configure for dual monitors in the usual sense, one extended desktop. Just use Xinerama (if you aren't using nVidia cards). I used to have 2 monitors and my livingroom TV all hooked to my machine. It wasn't that hard though I did have to edit the xorg.conf file which might be scary to one not used to working with ini files. I use Gentoo, I suspect a more userfriendly distro like Ubuntu might have a nice GUI wizard.
Windows is very easy to configure this way. I have 3 monitors on my XP box at work. You just check the boxes to extend the desktop then drag the screens into the order you want. Easy is nice but unlike my Linux box the Windows one forgets what order/orientation I wanted my screens in about every 7-10 boots and I have to turn my head sideways to use the mouse to put it back. (I have a flipped monitor for easy long page reading) I prefer editing an xorg.conf file ONCE to doing this almost weekly! I'm told Mac is just as easy to configure and actually remembers your preference.
I don't think Windows will let you have separate windows session on the same machine on two monitors. At least not unless you hook one monitor to a second computer, login to the first via RDC and the first is running a server edition... Linux can be multiheaded, it isn't exactly easy though.
What the poster actually asked for though... I don't think either Xorg or Windows can do. I doubt Mac can either but I wouldn't know about that one.
Or is this a new Windows feature? I'm not that familiar with the multimonitor features of Vista or 7, most of my knowledge of the Windows world ends with XP.
Ultramon for Windows (Score:3, Interesting)
Ultramon is not crap, and it does exactly what the OP wants.
So the question becomes: Is there a Linux tool like Ultramon?
Exactly! (Score:2, Interesting)
This is exactly my preferred work environment, I'm surprised more people don't know about it or try it.
I have a 1900x1200 screen on my laptop and a side monitor of 1600x1200. I don't ever need to maximize an application across both monitors ... either monitor is big enough for a single app. What I find useful is that I can have several applications running on one monitor, each in its own workspace, and several 'adjunct' applications on the other monitor, each of those in their own workspace. This allows me to quickly mix and match reference material or browsers to whatever is relevant to the task at hand.
For example:
I'm a software developer, and I often have many browser windows open to API references, google searches, blog postings, whatever. I will also have a database administration tool, an development IDE, two or three remote desktop sessions, and maybe a couple of non-work things - Spotify or an SSH-tunneled browser session in a separate browser. My day consists of developing and debugging in Eclipse, and rotating among several workspaces on the other monitor to support my development and debugging activities. I find the described X setup to be very efficient; once everything is running, I don't have to go hunting for windows or maximize/minimize other running applications. I just hot-key among the workspaces and easily maintain mental context for the task at hand. If someone comes in and needs a question answered, I don't have to clear the screen -- I just hot-key to an empty workspace and help them with what they are after.
The big win here is retaining the ability to cut-and-paste among applications while being able to 'pin' an application to a monitor. That is, I can leave Eclipse up on monitor 1, and then flip among the workspaces on monitor 2 while I look for whatever information I need. I don't lose my train of thought because Eclipse on monitor 1 is always visible, even as I flip among 5 or 10 different browser windows or applications on monitor 2.
If you aren't a developer, maybe you don't understand. But I'm sure other developers understand the use case ... many times, you may have to push 10 things on your mental stack while you research a problem, and it is easy to lose context. Being able to pin an application on one monitor and then quickly flip through several other applications on the other monitor is a huge productivity win. It always surprises me that more Linux people don't know about this method of using X; it drives me nuts to go to another developer's machine and watch them minimize and/or alt-tab through 30 browser windows and applications when they are trying to do something, or flip back and forth among the same 2 workspaces 16 times in a row because Xinerama has 'trapped' the IDE on their 2nd monitor to a different workspace than the one displaying their reference material. There is a better way.
Having said all that ... I have often wished for the exact capability requested by the OP. There are times when it would be convenient to be able to drag a window from one monitor to the other. As demonstrated by the 'clever' first poster, this setup is often misinterpreted as Xinerama or xrandr or some combination thereof, when actually it is just as the OP described. 'Albanach' has posted the only thing that looks helpful or relevant so far ... I don't see the point of asking "Have you investigated any of these before 'asking /.'?" though, it makes it look like Albanach is trying to be cool or look smart or something ... I guess ... but I am certainly glad that the OP posted the question. I think I tried Xmove but couldn't get it to work, and it sounds like Xpra may not be much better, but I'll try 'em again.
If anyone else understands the issue and has additional suggestions, please advise.
Maybe try Xnest? (Score:2, Interesting)
For testing purposes, on a dual monitor twinview setup, I've fired up Xnest with geometry that matches the resolution of one of my monitors to give me the feel of 2 X sessions running at once.
Xnest -geometry 1920x1200 -query localhost :0
I know this doesn't exactly answer the question nor solve the problem of moving windows across X servers, but depending on why you are trying to run 2 separate X's, perhaps this could work. I find the Xnest is great for trying to debug users dot file problems or creating global X settings.
I also seem to remember a way to share just the graphics of a particular application between two remote X servers (i.e. display just firefox on a remote machine), but can't remember the exact command; this was back in the sgi days. At any rate, if you want to just see the same app running on both X sessions, perhaps something like that could work well if you use localhost.
Hope that helps, but like I said it doesn't sound exactly like what you are looking for.
Re:Anti-Slashdot answer (Score:2, Interesting)
eg. Aion has options;
1. Full Screen
2. Windowed
3. Full Screen windowed
if you use option 3, you can full screen on one monitor, but move your mouse over to second monitor and change focus over to another application there. You can do this with 1 as well, but it takes forever (something about having to reinit stuff in directx or something - you'll see that in a lot of games), and you can do it in 2 but you get nasty window title bar and minimize/maximize/close buttons.
Re:Very good question. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:This is a first (Score:1, Interesting)
It seems as if he wants independent switching of display-specific desktops. This may have its uses for sure.
However, I think I would prefer a more confusing variant: A set of desktops, and each screen can select one of those desktops to show individually. All screens could even show the same desktop if all select the same, but this case wouldn't usually be useful.
But then today's applications are self-contained window-less (say, eclipse) and you end up with one-desktop=one-application, then simply moving the application-windows is quite the same as moving desktops.
iTALC (Score:2, Interesting)
I had enquired about this during early KDE4 development - more specifically being able to share individual virtual desktops with one user per virtual desktop. This was for a school setting so that a teacher could help students directly from the desktop. This would have drastically reduced system requirements for a classroom setting, but basically the response was NO! what a waste of effort - that is useless. Fortunately iTALC provides most of this functionality but has a larger footprint than I was looking for, however it is probably suitable to your purposes. ... Linux kernel 2.6.33 will bring kernel shared memory & I too can use iTALC
(student=1 workspace)(teacher=all/any workspaces)
http://italc.sourceforge.net// [sourceforge.net]
Re:Have You Actually Tried It? (Score:1, Interesting)
I know I don't an exact answer to the OPs question.
I am using xmonad, and I have to say being able to swap a virtual desktop between monitors is a great feature.
I often just want to swap all windows from my left monitor to the right. At first this sounds confusing, but if you get used to it you can exploit this behaviour. Imagine you have 2 monitors and 3 desktops with useful items. Instead of using two virtual desktops that span over both monitors and have your windows prearranged per desktop. You can just see either (1,3) or (2,3) or maybe (2,1) and then switch to (3,1).
The same scenario in a 2 virtual desktops with 2 monitors ends up in being awkward.
If you've got (1,2) and want to see (2,3), you swap windows between 1 and 3 and that will go well. But if you want so see (3,2) then you are forced to swap all windows from one monitor to the other and move windows from one virtual desktop to the other.
Actually I am not quite happy with the way xmonad actually handles fullscreen, but it handles windows and virtual desktops by far better than anything else. I indeed crave for an answer to the posters question, as I might switch then.
Re:Use a specialized Window Manager (Score:3, Interesting)
Agreed. DWM is a 2000 lines of elegant art for programmers. It also has exactly the behavior the questioner is asking for. One changes the workspace on each screen separately, and it is easy to move applications between screens.
Although I prefer DWM for myself, I rarely recommend it to others. Perhaps that is a bit snobbish, but I just think most people are unable to appreciate it properly.