4 ms·

I use Ubuntu, and every time I switch between external displays and my laptop's display, I have to move an xorg.conf file. My external displays are on NVidia T

• simcop2387 14y ago
  Yep that sounds like the horror that is Nvidia-Optimus. There's some kludges out there to do it all on the internal display, i don't know how well it works for mixing the two. I assume you've already looked at Bumblebee to see if it might help your situation?
  • daeken 14y ago
    Bumblebee works if you actually want to use the internal and external at the same time, but I only ever use one or the other. Also, you lose 3d acceleration if you use it, AFAIK.
• ekianjo 14y ago
  Are you using the latest Ubuntu ? They said they improved on multi-monitors support on 12.04. I did not test myself, though.
  • daeken 14y ago
    Yup, 12.04. It's because I'm using the NVidia driver for my externals, and Intel for my internal. No choice in the matter at the moment.
    • esbwhat 14y ago
      You try bumblebee at all?
      • daeken 14y ago
        Bumblebee solves the problem of using them together, and doesn't allow you to actually get 3d acceleration on the Nvidia chip. I just want to be able to easily switch between the two cards, but that won't happen, so the Xorg file moves will be necessary.
• DanBC2 14y ago
  Multiple monitors can be sucky no matter what OS you're using. There are several use cases in OSX that are decidedly sub-optimal, and not particularly rare considering the target audience. I haven't used a modern version of MS Windows, but I had a few problems using Windows 2000 and Windows XP with multiple monitors. I'm pretty sure getting some configurations of multiple monitors working with some software is still a chore.
• glesica 14y ago
  This isn't really a commentary on Linux itself though. Optimus can cause issues on Windows, too. It's new tech and Linux support is at the bottom of vendors' "todo" lists. The problem here is twofold, though I'm not necessarily saying these comments apply to you, you are apparently willing to endure some inconvenience. First, people should always check hardware support before buying a laptop if they intend to install Linux. I'm not trying to be a neck-beaded dick (although I do need to shave), I'm just pointing out that many of the problems people have with Linux stem from well-known incompatibilities that could have been avoided with different hardware choices. Which brings me nicely to the second point... There is a communication issue in the Linux community. We (I'm including myself here) need to stop over-selling Linux. It is not a computing panacea for everyone, and so long as hardware support lags behind Windows "selling" Linux as a drop-in Windows replacement isn't a good strategy. Getting someone to install Ubuntu/Fedora/openSUSE isn't a victory for the community if his hardware isn't compatible and things don't work right. It would be better to tell him that he should think about purchasing a Linux-compatible computer in the future and perhaps directing him to a list of compatible hardware.
• wazoox 14y ago
  Something's wrong with your system. I use Slackware, I have a dual screen setup and no xorg.conf, all was configured with the catalyst panel. My colleague has some Acer Laptop running Ubuntu, and he sometimes connects an external 19" screen he has on his desktop, and he certainly hasn't any xorg.conf (and that's fortunate because he's utterly non-technical).
  • daeken 14y ago
    There's nothing wrong with my system. Neither you nor your colleague have Nvidia Optimus systems, which is why you're not having any issues. My problems are definitely not the norm, but the "Xorg.conf isn't used anymore" meme needs to die; there are still real problems to be addressed. Unless we identify them and deal with them, they'll still be there.