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Idea #11787: Multiple Monitors with Same Set of Workspaces

Written by Xepra the 3 Aug 08 at 10:01. Category: Graphics. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
I would like to propose a very specific way to integrate the existing "workspace" architecture in to dual or multiple monitor setups. In essence I would like each monitor to be a different view of the same set of workspaces.

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Currently there are a number of approaches to multiple monitors, I personally have found running two separate instances of X to be one of the most useful. This was relatively easy to set up with Nvidia's binary driver, but still has a number of bugs:

1. Inability to drag windows across monitors - they have to stay on their own instance of X.

2. A number of bugs with basic configuration, such as setting the number of workspaces on the non-primary monitor.

3. Firefox will not run on more than one instance of X at the same time.

4. There is significant latency for drop down menus on non-primary monitors.

While most of these issues probably simply need some polish, I think a new approach could greatly improve functionality as well as solve some of these issues, and probably others.

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Basically I would like each monitor to be an independent view of the same instance of X (or set of workspaces). Each monitor could show any given workspace and change to a different workspace independently of the other monitors. If two monitors are showing the same workspace then their views are cloned. If an application is dragged on to a workspace that is currently being shown on another monitor then it happens in real time. If one application spans two workspaces then two monitors could be selected to display the entire application. Get the idea?

Notable Drawback: To feasibly be implemented each monitor would probably have to display the same resolution.

It would be nice to have the mouse cloned to any monitors showing the same workspace (for presentations).

The ability to stretch applications (such as videos or large images) across workspaces, and thus monitors, could be very useful.

Although I can't say that I am an expert on X or window managers, I have a feeling that this would be a significant overhaul of the infrastructure.

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On another note this would integrate beautifully with Compiz Fusion. The cube and expo already fluidly support applications being dragged across workspaces and spanning multiple workspaces. Adding rows of workspaces allows each monitor to have its own cube - replicating the effect of having multiple instances of X.

In fact the only functionality you would lose when compared to running two instances of X is the ability to have custom settings for each instance of X (number of workspaces, compiz effects, etc).




This would be my ideal implementation of multiple monitors in Linux.

This is also obviously related to:
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/206/

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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #11787
Written by Xepra the 3 Aug 08 at 10:01.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #11787 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

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Predator106 wrote on the 15 Aug 08 at 00:58
Definitely, perfect, just what I want to be honest. I run dual monitors with 2 seperate workspaces, and would love dragability between the 2. A workaround for the menu delay is run two instances of compiz, one for each monitor. But yes, this should be embedded by default.

Xepra wrote on the 21 Aug 08 at 16:11
Ugh. Stop spamming my brainstorm techgeek276. Your crappy ad isn't even running Ubuntu, much less linux.

How do you report spam in brainstorm?


@Predator106: Do you have a linky or quick howto on that menu delay hack? I just assumed since it was two instances of X that each would have their own compiz running... especially since you can change compiz settings independently.

Xepra wrote on the 19 Sep 08 at 13:15
Another little footnote:

Behavior of workspaces and physical monitor boundaries could be a bit tricky.

For example, say you have two monitors, one is displaying workspace 1, and the other, on the right, workspace 3. Now you drag a window on workspace 1 to the right. Does it wrap on to workspace 2, or do you display it on workspace 3?

For a small number of monitors you would probably want the latter behavior, but with a lot of monitors this could get unpredictable and confusing. Not to mention would probably be much more complicated to program. My guess is the best way to implement this is to wrap it on to workspace 2, and just display workspace 2 on the second monitor if you would like it to be visible.

Just thinking out loud (well you know what I mean).

Xepra wrote on the 25 Sep 08 at 22:28
I asked about this on the xorg mailing list, but someone seemed to suggest this functionality already existed in xorg... Or at least the functionality to support this.


http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/xorg/2008-September/038664.html

mosestruong wrote on the 7 Nov 08 at 06:51
I too would love to be able to do this on Ubuntu!!!

MaikoID wrote on the 7 Apr 09 at 14:37
I too would love to be able to do this on Ubuntu!!! ²

kmadsen7 wrote on the 10 Oct 09 at 19:49
Yes, this would be very valuable

Reason NL wrote on the 15 Dec 09 at 16:03
Posted exactly the same request on the compiz-fusion forum a while ago:

http://forum.compiz.org/viewtopic.php?f=136&t=4393

I wondered why no one ever came up with this idea which just looks to obvious and practical. ;-)

Flexico wrote on the 17 Sep 10 at 01:42
This is most definitely precisely what I would like! Is there a way for me to put this suggestion up where it is more likely to be seen/considered?

elanthis wrote on the 13 Nov 10 at 00:07
I also would desperately like this. Without it, virtual desktops and multiple monitors are borderline useless when used together.

Blarghedy wrote on the 24 Jun 11 at 21:21
I've used various flavors of Unix for about four years for school, and am now using it for my job. For this job, I was provided with two monitors. I was surprised to find that workspaces spread across monitors; I assumed each would be individual, because that just seems logical to me. I would love to be able to SSH into a remote machine and have its display on my second monitor, or easily switch from that to duplicating my main monitor, or even moving my main workspace to the second display so I can do something else. This just seems like the natural progression of multi-monitor support for something as... robust, I suppose, as workspaces are.

jpthompson23 wrote on the 8 Sep 11 at 01:50
The reason I set up a second monitor was because I thought that this functionality was available. I was surprised to find out how poor Ubuntu's multiple monitor support is, even though they have multiple workspaces, which should make the ability to put different workspaces on different monitors intuitive and obvious!


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