Does linux support dual monitors without xinerama?

[spazntwich1]

I'm running gentoo with X 4.2 and KDE 3.0. I've also got the following monitor setup.

AGP: Geforce3 Ti200 hooked up to Samsung 950p
PCI: Matrox Millenium 4 meg hooked up to old Acer 15" monitor

Right now, I'm just running my 950p, while my other monitor just sits there dark. Is it difficult to get the second working? I haven't tried just adding a new device and screen section to my XF86Config file yet, becuase I want to know if this is even feasible first.

Anyone know?

 

[Nothinman]

What's wrong with using xinerama? xinerama would be necessary if you want one big desktop, you may be able to get seperate desktops on 2 monitors without it but I don't really know.

 

[spazntwich1]

The problem with xinerama, in my limited experience with it, is it needs to run both monitors in the same res/refresh rate.

My primary monitor is a 19" that I run in 1280x1024 @ 85hz. My second one is a 15" that I want to run at 800x600 @ 85hz.

I can't force myself to run my primary monitor into 800x600 just so I can use my secondary monitor. It's unbearable at that low a res.

 

[Nothinman]

I had one monitor at 1600x1200/60hz and one at 1024x768/75hz when I was using xinerama, you don't need them to be the same.

 

[spazntwich1]

Well then, I'm an idiot.

I'll emerge xinerama and see if it works. The reason I THOUGHT it wouldn't work with other reses and such was because, once again, Mandrake held my hand, or at least told me it was, when it was really just hiding the truth from me.

Thanks.

 

[Nothinman]

xinerama is an X module, you shouldn't have to install anything extra.

They probably make you use the same res for both because of 'dead space', not all WMs know about xinerama and as such don't know there's a section of the desktop that's unusable because of the different reses. WindowMaker is one such non-xinerama aware WM and it's what I use, once it draws a window in the 'dead space' you can't get to it.

 

[spazntwich1]

You are correct about it being a module...

I enabled xinerama in my serverflags section, but right now, it's just copying my primary monitors output onto the second monitor, or what part of it that X can fit on the second monitor.

Any guess as to how disable mirroring, and enable the stretched desktop effect?

EDIT: BTW, I DID manage to get multiple desktops running without xinerama, but there was one interesting flaw. My mouse couldn't 'access' the other monitor, so I was left with a second desktop I couldn't get to. Weird stuff...

 

[Nothinman]

Actually the 2 desktop thing makes sense if you think about it. X support an unlimited (well I don't know the upper limit if there is one) number of screens, so the other desktop would have worked fine if you had another keyboard and mouse to associate with it =)

I found a HOWTO on xinerama when I did it, it explained what you want to do and it should be too hard to find again =)

 

[spazntwich1]

Well, once again, I messed with something after asking my question, only to figure it out on my own.

Thanks a LOT for your help though.

On to my next challenge: Getting wine working.