[linux-audio-user] [OT] Switching workspaces or ping-ponging screens?

[Robert Persson]

On Tuesday 04 January 2005 01:14, quoth Christian Frisson:
> Heyall,
>
> I'm up to throw my little and only 15" CRT screen in the attic to replace
> it by a more space-friendly and hum-bucking 17" LCD screen. I heard that
> running a dual-screen workstation is very fashionable for musicians (or
> artists): the sequencer on the first and the mixer on the second for
> example. Thus I was wondering whether I should take advantage of the
> opportunity and buy two of them at the same
> time, from the same brand, same model, same series... to avoid being
> disoriented. But doesn't Linux enable us to switch virtual workspaces with
> a single key combination?
>
> So what's better: flicking keys or ping-ponging eyes? Wrists RSI's or
> strabism?
>
> Cheers,
> Christian

I have a twin head setup with a Radeon 9200SE feeding a 19" monitor and a 
Voodoo Banshee feeding a 15" one.  At 1600x1200 and 1152x870 resolutions 
respectively this gives me a workable xinerama setup and I am fairly happy 
with it.  In fact I much prefer twin-head even for something as simple as 
listening to music while I browse the web.  Twin head (or an enormous or 
widescreen monitor) is also essential if you need to read howtos and 
following them at the same time.  On top of that I tend to use 2 or more 
virtual desktops in any one work session.  For instance I might have one twin 
head desktop for whatever kind of multimedia work I am doing and another for 
checking my mail and that sort of thing.

One problem that I do have with this multi-head arrangement is that I can't 
seem to get 3D to work, but audio applications generally don't use 3D so that 
shouldn't matter.

Another potential difficulty is configuration.  SuSE 9.1 handled this fairly 
well and I wouldn't be surprised if Mandrake would do likewise.  However I am 
currently trying to build a Gentoo system to replace SuSE and I have run into 
terrible problems with the basic Xorg -configure, xorgcfg and xorgconfig 
tools.

I have no problem at all moving my eyes between monitors, but I go bananas 
when I have to double click on everything and shuffle it around on my wife's 
MacOS laptop, even with that expose thing that ships with Panther.

You might also consider getting a widescreen display. That is another way of 
saving on the shuffling.

Robert
-- 
Pigsh*t is the new bullsh*t.