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X11 has great multiple-monitor support, and has done for some time now. Unfortunately, many users are using video drivers from nVidia or ATi, and those vendors
by thristian 15y ago
X11 has great multiple-monitor support, and has done for some time now. Unfortunately, many users are using video drivers from nVidia or ATi, and those vendors tend to have half-finished or sketchy implementations of less-mainstream features like multiple-monitor support. Like in so many things, if you've got Intel graphics, everything pretty much works out of the box.
- sjs 15y agoAfter using Linux for a few years and learning that you had to do a bit of research and buy hardware carefully to make sure it all worked, I discovered that I could choose ever so slightly more carefully and everything would work with even less effort. I use a MacBook for my main workstation and since finding Divvy and SizeUp haven't missed Linux it all. I just want a Unix machine that I don't have to fuss over or spend time setting up and maintaining.
- thristian 15y agoWeirdly, that's the reason I switched from OS X to Debian. OS X's hardware support is fine, but I do a bunch of hobby and open-source programming, wrestling with getting stuff to compile under OS X is just not my idea of a fun afternoon. MacPorts is a joke compared to the size and reliability of Debian's package archive, and Debian doesn't make you compile everything yourself, or leave multiple, uncleaned build-trees lying around for every package you install.
- sjs 15y agoThat's a good reason to prefer Linux. If OS X didn't have pretty stable and easy system upgrades and migrations I would miss Linux package managers. Copying the list of installed packages to a new machine and then running aptitude update is just awesome. I have pretty moderate package manager needs so homebrew is good enough, and when homebrew doesn't have it I just install from source.