laptop with dual head at work and single elsewhere

nulo · n00b Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 2

Hi, I've managed to configure a dual head display on my laptop using xinerama. The problem I'm facing now is that when I'm not at work I haven't got a second monitor and X doesn't seem to notice it :wink:

.
I face two options here, make a second ServerLayout and somehow detect that I'm not at work and startx that one or configure X so that it notices that the monitor isn't there.
I don't know how to achieve any of those and am open to any other sugestions you might have.
Here goes my xorg.conf in case it helps:

Sir Alaran · Apprentice Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 182 Location: KSJC

The solution to this is pretty trivial. (It's just that knowing the right trivia is so tricky...)

Here's how I did it on my laptop:

nulo · n00b Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 2

I know that way, but I would like to do that automagically on startup

. I went through the start scripts but didn't figure this one out. Maybe base it on network, etc.

ZZamboni · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 1:32 pm Post subject:

If your graphics card supports it (for example, Radeon), use MergedFB. It is like Xinerama, but allows "meta-modes", so you configure your two screens, but by switching the meta-mode you can have them displayed on two monitors, or on a single one, which you can scroll about and still have access to all your screens. X.org now contains built-in support for MergedFB. Here's more information:
http://dri.freedesktop.org/wiki/MergedFB
http://gefechtsdienst.de/uman/xorg-alpha.html
And below are the relevant sections of my xorg.conf.

Once you configure this, you use Ctrl-Alt-Plus to switch between meta-modes. So in my setup, I switch between two monitors (1400x1050-1600x1200), a single monitor at internal-LCD resolution (1400x1050), and a single monitor at 1024x768 (for use when I need to connect to a projector). In the second two metamodes, the screen is mirrored on both monitors, and I can scroll around the whole virtual screen.

Note that in my setup, my internal and external monitors have different resolutions. Because the virtual screen needs to be rectangular, this means that even in two-monitor mode, my internal screen scrolls up and down. I've gotten used to it, but I'm also expecting to get a new laptop with internal 1600x1200 soon :-)

un1k77 · n00b Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 2

Hello, I configured my IBM Notebook (RADEON 7500) like the way "ZZamboni" does and I have got a few questions. I use the "clone" parameter to clone my desktop. I have got a TFT with a 1280x1024 resolution and an internal Notebook Display with 1024x768! Is ist possible to use a cloned desktop with different resolutions? Now I have to scroll on my Notebook Display because it uses 1280x1024, too! Thanks for your help!

ZZamboni · Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: clone desktop

un1k77 · n00b Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 2

ok so I have to use only my 19" TFT and scroll on my IBM 1024x768 display. Another Problem I have is that when I want to watch a Video with any Player like VLC or mplayer, it is shown on my Laptop Display and the window on my TFT is black. There is no picture but on my Laptop TFT direct is all fine! Do you have an idea how to switch Videos to my external Display?

ph03n1x · l33t Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Posts: 756

Just a question:

Is the 3D-Acceleration as good as the binary-drivers ati provides?