I have a dual monitor display set up with an extended desktop. I would
much rather have a different (independently changeable) desktop showing
on each monitor. Is this possible at all in linux?
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
If you’ve already set up an extended desktop, you should have seen there
is more than one option for how to configure a dual monitor setup
There are a couple of different ways to configure dual monitors and it
can differ slightly between nvidia and ati cards if you’re using the
vendor’s own software
You don’t state which you’re using or how you set up the extended
desktop, but it can also be done with either card using Sax2’s ‘Activate
Dual Head’ option in the Sax2 monitor screen
Ecky’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=3518
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
You’ll have to use the mentioned extended mode instead of mirror mode.
This will give you an additional screen on one monitor, which seems to
always open windows on the monitor you don’t want them to… changing the
“primary monitor” in the nvidia panel doesn’t seem to do much.
Axeia’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=4794
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Ah, I forgot to mention the card. It’s an NVidia NVS 110M using their
proprietary drivers on my laptop. As I mentioned previously, the
extended mode is already set up. In SaX2, dual head is already activated
with the Xinerama mode (not cloned mode, which is the only other
option). All this is working perfectly.
What I want is whether I can have two different independent desktops
on each monitor. For example, I want my left screen to be on desktop 1
at one moment and my right screen to be on desktop 8. I don’t see any
such option off the bat.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
I think you want to have one of your ‘multiple desktops’ on one monitor
and another of them on the other monitor, is that right?
Looking to have an independent panel, kmenu etc on each monitor?
If you’re trying to do what I think you are I’m not sure it’s possible,
but you could probably simulate it using your current desktop by adding
another panel and dragging it over to the second monitor, then adding
any applets you want to use on the second one to the new panel
The same things which are on your ‘normal’ panel could be added to the
new one (making it pretty much identical to the original one), and if
I’m remembering this right, any programs you run from the second
monitor’s panel should open on the second monitor
I’ve not had room on my desk for two monitors in a while so the above
is from memory and I can’t do it myself here to check myself, but if I’m
understanding you right, and my memory isn’t failing me (far from
impossible!), while it wouldn’t be be strictly what you’re asking for,
the effect of it should be pretty much the same
A simpler way would be to just drag anything you open on desktop 8 over
to the second screen, the only difference I can picture there is no
panel on the second monitor and dragging the stuff over could get
tedious
Ecky’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=3518
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Ah now I see what you’re trying to do… You want another virtual
desktop on the second monitor.
Mmmh, no idea if that’s possible, hope the term “virtual desktop” is of
some help to you at least.
Axeia’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=4794
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Thanks for the comments guys; virtual desktop wasn’t quite what I had in
mind, but thanks for the suggestion. Ecky’s almost got it: I want two
independent views into the same (set of) desktops. I don’t think
Ecky’s temporary solution does what I want for my use cases. I think
this may very well not be available for Linux anywhere. But I’ll give
you a simple use case (normally mine are more complex involving up to 9
desktops).
Say, I have 3 desktops (label them D1, D2, D3), and I’ll use this
simple notation [D1 D2] means that the left monitor is viewing Desktop
1, and the right is viewing Desktop 2.
Say I’m working with D1 & D2 on related things and D3 has my e-mail and
TODO. So I have [D1 D2] while I do focused work. Then, say, I get an
e-mail and switch to [D1 D3]. I get two pieces of feedback - one that
affects work in D1 and one that affects stuff in D2. So, I work on [D1
D3] to take the feedback into account, then I switch to [D2 D3] and do
similarly. Then I switch back to [D1 D2] to continue working.
Anyhoo, this workflow is probably not possible in Linux today given
what I have found so far. But this was my last attempt just in case
anybody knew how to pull it off.
Thanks again.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
I think you are after a multihead (in your case dualhead) setup. You
will basically require two monitor device, and screen sections in your
xorg.conf file. Have a read of this:
deano_ferrari’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=122
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
What I think he needs is ten monitors 
marcianx have you looked at the desktop cube in compiz at all?
Allows you to ‘rotate’ through a series of desktops, never really seen
anyone needing 9 desktops at a time to be honest, but the cube could
help go at least some way to what you’re hoping to achieve
As for it not being possible in linux today I think about the only
thing it might be possible in is NASA Central!
Have you actually managed to get what you’re talking about working in
ANY operating system?
Your explanation of what you’re looking to do is actually somewhat
confusing
‘Then, say, I get an e-mail and switch to [D1 D3]. I get two pieces of
feedback - one that affects work in D1 and one that affects stuff in
D2’
Where and what exactly is this piece of ‘feedback’ affecting D2 meant
to be when what you say you’ll be viewing is D1 and D3?
Forgive me if I’m being a bit slow here, but how are you expecting to
see what’s happening on D2 with two monitors when none of those monitors
would be displaying D2 at that time?
Unless you mean that whatever happens on D2 displays on one of the
desktops you’re actually viewing at the time I can’t see how it makes
sense, or what the point of having the seperate desktops would be to
begin with if any of the desktops were to show what’s happening on any
of the others
Someone reassure me that I’m not being a bit thick here and completely
misunderstanding the question
Ecky’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=3518
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Thanks for the suggustions, deano_ferrari. I’d looked into dual X
screens before, but this has three important drawbacks:
All of these cause problems with my usage.
Thanks.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Ha!
9 monitors might do the trick. But I wouldn’t want to look at my
electricity bill at the end of my month, heh. The more desktops I have,
the more I spatially spread out, and 9 seems to be my optimal.
No I haven’t seen this feature in any OS but I haven’t looked for it
as much as I have for SuSE. I admit, the average person might not have
the same type of work behavior as I might, but it was worth a try to
find out whether this was possible.
Yea, I’m aware of the cube. But I already go left/right/up/down
through my desktops (using the HJKL keys like vim, so I never leave the
home row unnecessarily). So I don’t see the cube adding anything of
interest to me.
Clarifications in that use case: D3 has the e-mail and the feedback.
I switch to [D1 D3] to modify stuff in D1 based on D3. Then I switch to
[D2 D3] to modify stuff in D2 based on D3. Seriously, this is just the
simplest example I could come up with to give you an idea of how the
mechanism is supposed to work, but I have multiple ways in mind to use
this “multiple view” ability.
One may be worried about being confused, but I really think very
spatially and this use is very natural to me.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Have you tried using nvidia-settings and changing the Configuration from
Twinview to Separate Displays? Click on the Configure… button.
hieronymous’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=543
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
hieronymous;1926921 Wrote:
> Have you tried using nvidia-settings and changing the Configuration from
> Twinview to Separate Displays? Click on the Configure… button.
Yes. Presumably, you mean “Separate X screen”. That’s the same as the
multiple X session, and I mentioned the issues with that on my last
reply to deano_ferrari.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
What you want is I think technically possible, but as far as I know not
implemented.
You want a common set of desktops because you are viewing the same set
of apps. However you want independent views on the desktops. So what you
need is a desktop manager that is aware of two (or more) screens. I’m
not sure how that would play out technically with each screen running an
X server since an app is tied to a server. Maybe the DM would have to
interpose a virtual server in between, or make it all one large server
and manage the views itself. AFAIK there is no DM that does this today,
but I haven’t looked in any depth.
I guess you could call it multiview. It makes sense because multiviews
sits in between multiscreens and multidesktops.
Maybe current DMs could do a poor man’s version by allowing some apps
to be sticky in some desktops but not others. Then a virtual desktop
containing the set of apps you want is a “view” in your scheme.
ken_yap’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=221
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Well, the selective-“sticky” doesn’t quite have the ability to
mix-and-match arbitrary desktops at your whim easily, but it’s one step
closer, for sure.
I think multiview is indeed the perfect word for what I want. The
actual thing might be implementable in the desktop manager itself, but
I don’t know whether there is any way for the X server to indicate
whether there are multiple views into the same desktop. Perhaps there is
no need for that if there were implemented as one large virtual desktop
which was logically separated into two independent views – a DM could
probably do that by itself. Anyhoo, if enough people are interested in
Multiview, I don’t see why it won’t eventually get implemented.
marcianx’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=19841
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
I just installed 11.1 on a computer here at work. and it is having the
same problem that I reported in 11.0.
‘openSUSE 11.0 Dual Desktop problems with KDE 3 and 4 - openSUSE
Forums’ (http://tinyurl.com/b77cxj)
Dual desktop is not working. The second desk top is a black screen and
you see the default X pointer when you move the mouse over. The KDE
desk top is not running on the second monitor. It works on 10.3 which
is what I am still running on my computer. When 11.0 or 11.1 fix the
problem then I will upgrade my computer.
dwestf’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=8316
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
Just seen this post as i’m looking for the same solution. What marcianx
wants (if the same as me), is the ability to be able to drag and drop a
document/file/whatever onto the 2nd display and be able to work on that
screen. I don’t want another taskbar or desktop section, just a seperate
screen from the primary.
This is easily achieved in windows as it is nativly supported in the
Nvidia drivers E.G. Having programs running on the 2nd screen whilst
working on the 1st (like seeing your music/video player on one screen as
you work on the other).
In OpenSuse it’s possible to configure seperate displays in the Nvidia
Display Panel, but Sax2 does not allow seperate displays, only
extended/clone modes. In this case the stumbling block is Sax2 not
Nvidia.
Regards
tictoc2’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=14494
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
What you are looking for is a single desktop on dual monitors, done with
twinview (for Nvidia ) or Xinerama ( X11 ) monitors. Twinview in an
option in the device section for an Nvidia card. Xinerama tells X11 to
span the desktop across all monitors configured. I am the only one in
the Computer lab that I work in that perferes dual desktops. Everyone
else has single desktop on dual monitors.
Here is one way to setup an Nvidia card useing Xinerama
Create a copy the existing device section, add the screen line for each
device section.
Section “Device”
Identifier “Device[0]”
Driver “nvidia”
VendorName “NVidia”
BoardName “GeForce FX 5900 Ultra”
Screen 0
EndSection
Section “Device”
Identifier “Device[1]”
Driver “nvidia”
VendorName “NVidia”
BoardName “GeForce FX 5900 Ultra”
Screen 1
EndSection
Create a copy of the Screen section. (Below is not the full section)
Section “Screen”
Identifier “Screen[0]”
Device “Device[0]”
Monitor “Monitor[0]”
…
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section “Screen”
Identifier “Screen[1]”
Device “Device[1]”
Monitor “Monitor[0]”
…
EndSubSection
EndSection
Here is the server layout.
Section “ServerLayout”
Identifier “Layout[all]”
Screen “Screen[0]” 0 0
Screen “Screen[1]” RightOf “Screen[0]”
InputDevice “Keyboard[0]” “CoreKeyboard”
InputDevice “Mouse[1]” “CorePointer”
Option “Clone” “off”
Option “Xinerama” “on”
EndSection
We are having problems with dual desktops, two seperate task bars.
Dave
dwestf’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=8316
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772
dwestf;1938811 Wrote:
> We are having problems with dual desktops, two seperate task bars.If you’re using KDE4.1 you might want to try KDE 4.2, the task manager
had a “only current screen” option added to it (worked great for me).
And as a tip:
Panels on the intersecting side of the screens are a bad idea in 4.2,
‘gives some maximizing issues’
(https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=182625). So place them at either
the ‘furthest’ sides or the top/bottom.
Axeia’s Profile: http://forums.opensuse.org/member.php?userid=4794
View this thread: http://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php?t=404772