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#1 2009-03-14 10:59:49

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

kde 4.2 and multiple screens

Problems with kde 4.2 and 3 independent screens.

I'm running Arch64 and have been using kde3 and fluxbox. Mostly fluxbox since I really didn't like kde4 when it was at 4.0, and I suspect kde3 will eventually fade away, but hoping it wont. I'm running each screen on a separate nvidia card. Screen #3 is a old crt connected to a old pci gforce4 card. The other two cards are geforce 6800 and geforce 7900 hooked up to wide flat panels. Until the gforce4 croaks, or I decide to ditch it, I use nvidia-96xx.

Well, for the past few hours I've been pulling my hair out trying to get kde 4.2 to recognize my other two screens. It's like they just don't exist. I google searched and found lots of info that kde 4.1 and 4.0 had tons of bugs regarding multiple screen support, but that they were supposedly fixed in the 4.2 release. Anyway, I don't think it has anything to do with my xorg.conf settings. Both fluxbox and kde3 run like a charm with 3 independent X screens. Is anyone else having problems with kde4 and multiple independent screens?

Also, I can't seem to set shadow / translucency effects at all. I don't like tons of eye candy so I don't run any of the compiz stuff. My kde3 appearance is perfect with it's shadow and translucent menu effects. Well, I take it back. I do use compizmgr for a shadow effect in fluxbox, but never needed it for kde3. I guess kde4 and the new qt still has some maturing to do, or maybe I just haven't played around with kde4 long enough? Maybe some hidden / secret settings I can't find?


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#2 2009-03-14 16:59:43

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

Found the desktop effects. kde4 is really comming along. Maybe I just havn't found a setting to tell it there's two other screens to activate. Seems like it would see them by default.


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#3 2009-03-14 17:18:02

signor_rossi
Member
Registered: 2007-08-24
Posts: 257

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

AFAIK multiple independent screens are still not supported in kde4.

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#4 2009-03-14 22:46:15

caustic386
Member
Registered: 2009-02-22
Posts: 14

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

signor_rossi wrote:

AFAIK multiple independent screens are still not supported in kde4.

By 'multiple independent' do you mean spanning?  Maybe that's why I can't figure out how to get multiple monitors running in KDEmod 4.  Any recommendations for a Desktop/Window manager that suports spanning?  Only using 2 monitors here...

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#5 2009-03-15 00:27:38

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

no, I meant three seperat X  screens  that are independent of each other.  It has it's advantages, but the disadvantage is you can't drag windows from one screen to another. I never used the spanning method, but I think it's better supported, especially with twinview / two screens connected to the same device.

Last edited by Leigh (2009-03-15 00:35:24)


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#6 2009-03-15 00:50:58

caustic386
Member
Registered: 2009-02-22
Posts: 14

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

That's exactly what I'm trying to do - an advice on where to find some documentation?  Seems plentiful for nVidia cards, unfortunately I'm dealing with ATI...

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#7 2009-03-15 05:03:13

Ranguvar
Member
Registered: 2008-08-12
Posts: 2,544

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

ATI doesn't have TwinView, but I think Xinerama will do what you want. I don't have any experience myself, but Google probably has enough, and the Arch wiki might have info too.

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#8 2009-03-15 16:58:58

signor_rossi
Member
Registered: 2007-08-24
Posts: 257

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

caustic386 wrote:

That's exactly what I'm trying to do - an advice on where to find some documentation?  Seems plentiful for nVidia cards, unfortunately I'm dealing with ATI...

The ATI implementation of Xinerama is called BigDesktop. Use aticonfig or the ATI control center (amdcccle) to set it up (X server restarts may be required).
The newest driver may also support xrandr.

SignorRossi.

Last edited by signor_rossi (2009-03-15 16:59:30)

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#9 2009-03-15 20:14:33

caustic386
Member
Registered: 2009-02-22
Posts: 14

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

signor_rossi wrote:
caustic386 wrote:

That's exactly what I'm trying to do - an advice on where to find some documentation?  Seems plentiful for nVidia cards, unfortunately I'm dealing with ATI...

The ATI implementation of Xinerama is called BigDesktop. Use aticonfig or the ATI control center (amdcccle) to set it up (X server restarts may be required).
The newest driver may also support xrandr.

SignorRossi.

Just figured it out; I had to add a line to xorg.conf.  I don't have it in front of me, but I believe the it was under a screen subsection and went

Display      2560 1024

Fired up right away after that!  Are there any advantages to using catalyst?  Arch Beginners Guide strongly suggests to stay away from it.

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#10 2009-03-16 09:33:11

signor_rossi
Member
Registered: 2007-08-24
Posts: 257

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

caustic386 wrote:

Are there any advantages to using catalyst?  Arch Beginners Guide strongly suggests to stay away from it.

Varies from model to model. All before 9250(?) should work really well with ati driver. ati driver wouldn't support DVI on my docking station until 1 year ago for my X600 Mobility and still doesn't support PowerPlay, so I use fglrx, which is also stable for me for quite some time now. Don't know how the situation with newer models is.

SignorRossi.

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#11 2009-03-17 00:15:59

Ranguvar
Member
Registered: 2008-08-12
Posts: 2,544

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

Catalyst has lots of bugs, basically. But for some, it's the only driver with acceptable 3D. I am using xf86-video-ati on my old laptop that doesn't support Catalyst with fair 3D performance smile

Try all the drivers. xf86-video-ati, xf86-video-radeonhd (if you can swing it), and Catalyst. The first two are open source. Some cards are better supported by some than others (incl. 3D). Make sure to Google around for tweaking tips.

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#12 2009-03-17 07:54:08

MoonSwan
Member
From: Great White North
Registered: 2008-01-23
Posts: 881

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

Leigh, I tried to get this to work too with 4.0 & 4.1 but no dice.  I hope someone has a solution because it is driving me batty to not have my dual monitors, and I use Nvidia too.  I wish I knew wth KDE was doing and I saw a dev say this isn't a priority unfortunately since it is not a common set up.

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#13 2009-03-17 09:41:56

signor_rossi
Member
Registered: 2007-08-24
Posts: 257

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

signor_rossi wrote:

AFAIK multiple independent screens are still not supported in kde4.

That pretty summed it all up before, didn't it? Just try Xfce for example and there it will work.
BigDesktop, Xinerama are different, though. Already looked at xrandr?

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#14 2009-03-17 09:47:30

droog
Member
Registered: 2004-11-18
Posts: 877

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

leigh, sorry i can't fix your problem but thanks for your lianli moc theme!
since i quit alsa mpd ncmpc a couple months and switched to oss/moc i've been using it ever since
thanks!

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#15 2009-03-18 02:44:57

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

droog wrote:

leigh, sorry i can't fix your problem but thanks for your lianli moc theme!
since i quit alsa mpd ncmpc a couple months and switched to oss/moc i've been using it ever since
thanks!

I forgot all about posting my moc theme. That was quite a while ago, but your welcome. I thought most people would find it rather bland, but I like it only highlighting the active song and nothing else except when sifting through directories. I use to use it with urxvt, but once I figured out how to configure mlterm I like it much better. The transparency in mlterm is much nicer too.

Yea, it's a shame kde4 isn't up to par with multi screens. Other than that, it seems to be really comming along. Although, I don't really like Dolphin or the kde4 version of konqueror. Lots of little things that I thought they should have kept from kde3 are gone. Think I'll be sticking to kde3 and fluxbox for a while longer.


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#16 2009-03-18 07:18:38

signor_rossi
Member
Registered: 2007-08-24
Posts: 257

Re: kde 4.2 and multiple screens

Leigh wrote:

Yea, it's a shame kde4 isn't up to par with multi screens. Other than that, it seems to be really comming along. Although, I don't really like Dolphin or the kde4 version of konqueror. Lots of little things that I thought they should have kept from kde3 are gone. Think I'll be sticking to kde3 and fluxbox for a while longer.

Agreed, KDE4 is quite usable now but does still miss some things that would be useful. I for example would need multiple indipendent X screens to make Google Earth show up completely on my external monitor, which is not possible for me due to a hardware limitation in BigDesktop mode. And dolphin4 is my least liked program, unstable and space wasting unintuitive UI. But then again, I sometimes have to do things for my brother on his Vista Home Premium box, holy shit: a to the maximum cluttered UI, almost every possible action for a file type visible on the screen at the same time and the best is that after the installation of a program the hard disks start to rattle and don't stop until the box is restarted, gives me the shivers every time.

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