Ubuntu – set up 2 monitors to be 2 separate Gnome virtual desktops instead of one big

gnomemultiple-monitorsworkspaces

If I plug an external CRT to my laptop, it normally either displays the same picture as the laptop's panel, or extends the desktop area. But I'd like it to be a separate virtual desktop (a workspace, in terms of Gnome). Is it possible?

I use Toshiba L10 laptop with Intel 82852/855GM onboard card. And I switch (which, AFAIK, can be an inconvenience with Xinerama) monitor configurations (detach all monitors but a laptop's built-in panel, attach monitors with different resolutions) pretty often (sometimes many times a day).

Best Answer

What kind of videocard are you using? With an nVidia card I would recommend using twinview. Otherwise it should be possible to simply enable xinerama for it to work.

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – How to best enable Xinerama

In the ServerLayout section in your xorg.conf you should add something like this:

Section "ServerLayout"
    Option "Xinerama" "on"
    Option "Clone" "off"
EndSection

That should be enough to make sure xinerama works properly. If you don't have it already, you should add something like this aswell:

Section "ServerLayout"
    Screen 0 "first-screen"
    Screen 1 "second-screen" RightOf "first-screen"
EndSection

How to Distribute Windows Over Virtual Desktops in GNOME

If you're using Compiz, install compizconfig-settings-manager, activate the "Place Windows" plugin, and in the "Fixed Window Placement" tab, you can adjust which windows should default to which viewport.

Best Answer

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Ubuntu – How to best enable Xinerama

How to Distribute Windows Over Virtual Desktops in GNOME

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