Per-screen Desktops

frio · 2009-05-12 04:23:01

Hey all,
I've used XMonad in a multi-screen environment for around a year now. Much as I love it, some of my work (becoming more of my work ) requires me to use some legacy applications which don't play well with tiling (including one app that runs under WINE). Unfortunately, I've got no choice but to use these apps.

I've been shopping around for a flaoating window manager, but there's one feature of XMonad I cannot live without: a desktop per screen. I love being able to have my browser open on one desktop my IDE on the other, consoles scattered around the place, and then being able to combine these various discrete sets however I want. So far, no floating WMs (not even the vaunted Openbox) seems to be able to do this. I'd really appreciate if it someone out there could please point me in the direction of a floating WM that supports that behaviour... or please advise me how to sort out Openbox if it does support it?

The other option is to stick with XMonad, which I very well might end up doing, but configuring desktops which float everything seems a little daunting at the moment (my Haskell is shit ).

Cheers in advance!

Mashi · 2009-05-12 12:24:58

Wait.. Do you just want the system to recognise 2 monitors and not simply show you the same picture on both screens? I think that's pretty much the norm. For example on my XFCE desktop I can drag windows between the monitors. I only get one taskbar though, and the desktop icons are the same on both screens.

frio · 2009-05-13 00:56:09

No, that's fine. A better term would have been workspaces. You know how when you're using Xfce, GNOME, etc., you've got multiple workspaces? In Xmonad, rather than having a set of four workspaces that are two screens wide each, you have, say, 8 workspaces that are each for an individual screen .

Last edited by frio (2009-05-13 00:56:46)

jumzi · 2009-05-13 02:37:45

Well i use two screens with wmii in "zaphod" mode, ie i have to X-servers runnning, one on each screen. That gives me 9 "tabs"(as it's called in wmii languge, it's normally called workspaces) per screen... Problem is that you can't move apps in between your screens then.

But i don't really need that anyway

harpo · 2009-05-14 01:56:26

Also using wmii with two Xservers (using twinview on nvidia card), similar setup with browser on left monitor. wmii might work well for you since it allows a stack of floating windows in addition to a stack of tiled windows. I use this to handle some problematic java apps. Best of both worlds, really.

raz0rskyl1n3 · 2009-05-14 03:43:56

Another suggestion is e17. Each monitor gets its own 4vdesktops, by default you can have more. Its primarily floating window however there is a tile module not sure of its status. You can also save windows to set workspaces i.e. wine opens on screen0, desktop 1, firefox on my second monitor etc.

xsytry · 2009-05-14 09:45:28

I've used XMonad in a multi-screen environment for around a year now. Much as I love it, some of my work (becoming more of my work hmm) requires me to use some legacy applications which don't play well with tiling (including one app that runs under WINE). Unfortunately, I've got no choice but to use these apps.

I have never used Xmonad, so i don't know if it has similar function, but in awesome you can set apps to float or make all windows floating by changing layout to 'float'.
Awesome also has multiple screen functionality you're looking for. You can try it if Xmonad can't do what you need.

RobbeR49 · 2009-05-14 12:32:34

frio wrote:

No, that's fine. A better term would have been workspaces. You know how when you're using Xfce, GNOME, etc., you've got multiple workspaces? In Xmonad, rather than having a set of four workspaces that are two screens wide each, you have, say, 8 workspaces that are each for an individual screen .

You can do this in FVWM, you can have multiple pages (workspaces) inside multiple desktops which can correspond to each of your screens.

phutte · 2009-05-17 00:28:30

I'm also using Xmonad, and might be the happiest person around?
Anyways, in your xmonad.hs, you can apply per-app the float your are wishing for. I also go for Wine, cause there are two apps that I just can't live without. Almost anyway. One of them is a text-editor called PSPad, which uses tabs for the different open files. The tabs are actually a window each. Eventhough I have not yet tested, hopefully it will work, with float in xmonad.hs
For now, when writing .php-code (which looks almost like ZX-Basic when I'm done), I use XFCE, which I have been fiddling with for a full day, so my shortcuts are the same as I use in Xmonad. Have 9 'desktops', and trows apps between them, like I am used almost anyway. The looks are quite the same also, a Conky instead of Xmobar, going fullscreen with alot of apps on the different desktops.
So the feel and look is comparable ;o) I'm not totally lost when coding .php, almost like home...

So try the 'float' in Xmonad on your wine-apps, and hopefully you does not have to change environment.

../sunny-sweden

proc · 2009-05-22 15:14:34

+1 for e17

I'm currently using it (both at home and in the office) with two screens. Just put a bar with a pager on each screen and you'll have the same effect as xmonad.

nephish99 · 2009-05-31 05:23:42

jumzi wrote:

Well i use two screens with wmii in "zaphod" mode, ie i have to X-servers runnning, one on each screen. That gives me 9 "tabs"(as it's called in wmii languge, it's normally called workspaces) per screen... Problem is that you can't move apps in between your screens then.
But i don't really need that anyway

hey, if you could post your wmii config, i would really appreciate it. i am having some trouble setting up this very thing that you are doing.

thanks

ThomasAdam · 2009-06-08 20:00:47

RobbeR49 wrote:

frio wrote:
No, that's fine. A better term would have been workspaces. You know how when you're using Xfce, GNOME, etc., you've got multiple workspaces? In Xmonad, rather than having a set of four workspaces that are two screens wide each, you have, say, 8 workspaces that are each for an individual screen .
You can do this in FVWM, you can have multiple pages (workspaces) inside multiple desktops which can correspond to each of your screens.

Yes, but what you can't do is emulate XMonad's take on it -- and the responsibility lies with Xinerama or Xrandr, these days.

-- Thomas Adam

Arch Linux

#1 2009-05-12 04:23:01

Per-screen Desktops

#2 2009-05-12 12:24:58

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#3 2009-05-13 00:56:09

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#4 2009-05-13 02:37:45

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#5 2009-05-14 01:56:26

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#6 2009-05-14 03:43:56

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#7 2009-05-14 09:45:28

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#8 2009-05-14 12:32:34

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#9 2009-05-17 00:28:30

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#10 2009-05-22 15:14:34

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#11 2009-05-31 05:23:42

Re: Per-screen Desktops

#12 2009-06-08 20:00:47

Re: Per-screen Desktops

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