Re: Multi-head (non-Xinerama) window managers
On Mon, Feb 02, 2004 at 11:33:01AM +0100, martin f krafft wrote:
>
> The scenario in which I would like to use dual head is a work screen
> and next to it a screen for GUI applications, like the browser,
> jpilot, and a mail reader. Furthermore, I want multiple desktops.
> Running X with Xinerama means that a desktop change affects both
> screens, which is not what I want. Thus, I want to go without
> Xinerama.
I use a configuration much like this for my work system. Two 19"
monitors side-by-side configured in Dual Head with an almost fullscreen
VMware session on the right hand monitor with a single desktop and
currently 6 desktops on the left.
I'm using Blackbox for my window manager, it handles both screens
automatically with a single invocation.
> So then I went back to WindowMaker and got it to run two separate
> instances on the two screens. Cut'n'paste works, dragging windows
> between the screen obviously doesn't, but that's fine by me.
> However, I am still not 100% happy, mainly because of the focus
> issue. I'll give you two examples, keep in mind that I run 'click'
> focus mode, that is, I have to click a window to give it the focus.
> I prefer this to sloppy focus where the window under the mouse
> cursor is focused.
I use sloppy focus, so I wouldn't know how well click to focus would or
wouldn't work.
> If I am working on screen 0 and would like to switch to a terminal
> or browser window on screen 1, I have to click on the window title
> bar -- clicking on the window does not transfer the focus. Within
> a single screen, however, this works as expected.
Just configured both heads here for click to focus and clicking anywhere
within a window on either screen switches focus to it.
> The second example is related to the previous one. I have Ctrl-Alt-T
> mapped to give me a terminal window. However, when the focus resides
> on screen 0 even though the mouse is on screen 1, pressing that
> keycombo will pop up the terminal on screen 0. Clicking on the
> background or application clip does not transfer the focus. Thus, in
> order to open a window on screen 1, one needs an already opened
> window to transfer the focus to screen 1 -- a bootstrap problem that
> can only be overcome with the window maker application menu -- which
> is painful.
I only have bbkeys (a blackbox keygrabber) configured to run on the
first head here. However, I do have a problem where if the focused
window is on the second screen my keyboard shortcuts don't activate on
the first screen. With sloppy focus if I move through an open
application on screen 1 it switches focus and the key combos work.
Likewise if I click on the root window of screen 1 the key combos work.
> There are like 40 or more window managers in Debian, and I really
> don't want to try one after the other. Thus, if you have already
> made experiences with window managers and multi-head configurations
> that don't use Xinerama, talk to me!
I'm quite happy with Blackbox and Dual Head. I'd be happy to provide
any help I can.
--
Jamin W. Collins
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. --Aldous Huxley,
"Proper Studies", 1927
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