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Multiple-Display Power Tools For Linux?

Posted by timothy on from the it's-a-hard-knock-life dept.

shift writes "I've used multiple monitors for years (currently 3) and find that Linux is lacking in power tools for such setups. Even Windows 7 has added the feature to move a window from screen to screen with keyboard shortcuts. Are any of the major desktop environments adding such features? I'm still stuck on FVWM and have defined functions to swap the contents of screens as well as move windows from screen to screen and so on. But this just seems like such basic functionality people would want in multi-screen setups that I'm surprised I don't find any of these features in our latest desktop environments."

8 of 410 comments (clear)

  1. Separate Workspaces? by phantomcircuit · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why not just make each monitor it's own workspace?

  2. Isn't this pretty widespread already? by Elshar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is this just a problem with FVWM? I know I've been doing it for years in both FreeBSD and Linux. I've done it with FreeBSD running Windowmaker as early as 2002-2003, iirc. And I've done it on Linux with KDE and Gnome.

    I've done it with Matrox, ATI, and Nvidia cards. I guess I'm not really sure what the submitter is talking about, because it works for me just as he's asking for without any special hardware.

    In fact, in linux running Ubuntu, this was the default configuration as I recall, and I've actually got this working on the Ubuntu 9.10 right here.

  3. Tiling Window Managers by Roguelazer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When using Xinerama (which you really ought to be if you want control over your multi-screen setup), many tiling window managers can do all sorts of neat things. I personally use Awesome, although I'm told that xmonad is also good at this.

    --
    My Systems
  4. xmonad window manager for multiple displays by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Xmonad seperates the concept of virtual desktops from the displays on which they are put.
    so not only can you move a window from one monitor alt-shift-[wer] for moving from monitors 1 2 3 respectivly.
    you can put any of the (default 9) virtual desktops on any monitor with alt-[1-9]. The window manager is about as hard to learn to use as VI though it is really really well worth it. expecially when you use it from within gnome so you dont have to loose all the task bar goodness.

  5. Re:You need a GUI? by peragrin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    multiple mointor support is through XRandR. It also does away with the stupid xorg.conf.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  6. Re:Issues I've had. by mugginz · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Did you try it with Xinerama? xorg.conf

    Option "Xinerama" "1"

    in your Section "ServerLayout" should tie all separate screens together into one desktop.

    That's easy, just try and get a composited desktop in this mode though.

    http://mugginix.com/articles/2009/Nov/12/Xinerama_Composite_Fail/

  7. What about the text console? by VanessaE · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If there's one thing I've wanted for as long as I've used Linux, it's multiple monitor support on the regular, plain text console. I use a dual-head nVidia card, which works fine under X, but console mode has always been a let-down. One monitor always displays a normal console, while the other usually ends up displaying whatever I saw perhaps 10 minutes prior (as if it is showing part of the other monitor's scrollback buffer).

    So, each can clearly show unique content in text mode, but does any tool exist that can bring some order to it?

  8. Re:Issues I've had. by MostAwesomeDude · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Use nouveau instead of nvidia, and do Xorg -configure, and you should be golden. The big thing is that nvidia won't do multicard with non-nV hardware.

    I have two ATI chipsets in my current work box, and everything works just great.

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    ~ C.