Dual monitors in X.Org on an ATI card && Now with X.Org compile errors...

[Crusty]

I run Gnome, but wouldn't mind using a dif WM. I would like to have a dif virtual desktop on each on monitor..is that possible?

If not, what else can I do?

 

[n0cmonkey]

I think X just extends the desktop, instead of just using two different virtual ones. Send me two 20" LCDs, and I'll play around with it though.

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
I think X just extends the desktop, instead of just using two different virtual ones. Send me two 20" LCDs, and I'll play around with it though.

Bah, useless like usual


But i'm having a tough time compiling X.org from CVS..

XF86VMode.c:38:25: X11/Xlibint.h: No such file or directory
In file included from ../../exports/include/X11/extensions/xf86vmstr.h:38,
from XF86VMode.c:39:
../../exports/include/X11/extensions/xf86vmode.h:151: error: parse error before "Bool"


and then it goes through and throws an error or five on every line for the rest of that file...

 

[M00T]

what distro do you have?

 

[Crusty]

Debian SID

 

[drag]

If you want to run 2 different window managers at the same time you can run 2 different complete X servers at one time.

First desktop it's business like usuall. Log in thru the graphical manager or startx. This starts display $DISPLAY=:0.0
You normally get to it from a console by going ctrl-alt-F7.

Now for the second display:
At a console go:
X :1.0
And that will start a second X server. You can get to it by going ctrl-alt-F8
Then you need to open up a second console or a xterm.
Set the display variable for it:
export DISPLAY=:1.0
then start a window manager:
fluxbox

Here is a script you can probably use:

#! /usr/bin/env bash

X :1.0 &
sleep 2
export DISPLAY=:1.0
fluxbox

Your going to have a difficult time running, say, 2 instances of gnome or kde with the same user since they use file locks and stuff like that so that they are aware of what is going on by the user, but you can easily run one kde desktop and another gnome desktop, or run enlightenment and fluxbox at any one time.

For instance on my desktop I have 2 different screen layouts that I use, one for dual monitor desktop stuff, and a second X server layout with one one monitor for gaming.

I have a alias in my shell that I use:
alias gamex="X -layout Gaming :1.0"
and
alias disp="export DISPLAY=:1.0"

So then at the command line I go:
gamex & sleep 2; disp; openbox


As for your compiling errors in Debian (which is what I use), I am not sure about it. Try installing the developement packages for X... Maybe try the X.org mailing list they are usually interested in compiling errors.

 

[Crusty]

Thanks for the info drag.

I've fixed the compile errors with X.org, I just deleted my source tree and re-downloaded it from cvs and it worked .

I've got a new idea for using my 2nd monitor. I have an account on my school's linux boxes and I have ssh with X Forwarding access to them. Would it be possible to set it up so that I login via ssh remotely and use my 2nd monitor as a display connecting to the school's X server? I've never really toyed with dual monitors in Linux or running two X server instances at once, so I don't even know if this will work or not..but it would sure be nice

 

[drag]

Don't get X Server and X client mixed up.

X Server is the bit that handles the display and input devices. It talks to the hardware to render the display. that's the X server.

A X client is a program that runs in X. Every peice that makes up your desktop is a X client of one form or another. Mozilla would be a X client, for example.

So you could.. run a X Server on you local hardware. And then use SSh to connect using it's X forwarding features to run a card game on your school's computer and have the display output run to your local computer's X server. You could run a xterm on your school's computer while have the display output on your local computer at home, is another example.

So sure you can, you just open up the applications from your school on your desktop in either monitor. It'll be like your running it locally, you can copy and paste back and forth between programs, they will even use your local theme if your using something like Gnome and are using a GTK-based app or are using KDE QT-based app in kde. Except for the speed difference it would be like they originated from your computer.

In fact you can run dozens and dozens of apps from all sorts of different unix boxen on your home computer and it will be like it was originated from your home computer.


Now if you want to run a entire desktop from a seperate computer, on your local computer, along side, but seperate (like vnc) you can use: vnc, or use something like Xnest and just make it full screen.

Xnest is a Xclient that is also a X server. I suppose you can call it a virtual XServer. So it runs on your desktop in a window. But you can use it as a X server and run X clients WITHIN your Xnest'd server. Hell, it it'll even run it's own xscreensaver.


So in summary Xnest is a virtual X server that is actually a Xclient that can be run remotely over network OR locally that you can use to run X clients within Xnest's own X client on your local X server. It's enough to make you go batty.

check out this article for clarification.

Just remember: XServer is what handles the rendering and input and output from your pointer device, keyboard, and monitor. X clients are what runs as programs inside your XServer.

XServer runs locally, but Xclients can be run from any authenticated source, on any computer that can handle the type of program (ie unix-like) and has a decent network connection to your computer.

 

[skene]

When I was playing around with dual displays, GNOME made two virtual desktops by default after I had setup my xorg.conf file right. It was kind of annoying actually, I prefer an exteded desktop that lets me have a window span across both screens. WindowMaker seemed to have no problems doing an extended desktop on the other hand. I'm not sure how you'd need to setup your xorg.conf file to do that though. I had it working with two video cards and never tried it using the same card for both screens.