[compiz] Feature request: Multi-head awareness in compiz and plugins

[Jörn Reimerdes]

Just wanted to mentally support the novel team. :)
It's quite embarrassing, that there isn't currently a "plug'n'play"
feature for screens. You want to have this on any notebook, with
dualhead functionality. I am sure we will see this in the "proper way"
on XGL. :)

Thanks in advance, Jörn

On Mon, 2006-06-19 at 09:25 -0400, David Reveman wrote:
> With composite extension present, xinerama isn't really useful, all we
> need is support for multiple screens and we can do anything we want with
> these screens in the compositing manager.
> 
> Adding multi-screen support to Xglx is easy, I'll try to get it done
> this week. Making compiz multi-screen aware is some more work but I'll
> start working on this any day now.
> 
> I wont accept any xinerama patches, if you like to use xinerama until
> proper multi-screen support is implemented, you have to patch things.
> 
> -David
> 
> On Mon, 2006-06-19 at 13:26 +0200, Martin Szulecki wrote:
> > There have been offered several patches in order to forward Xinerama
> > support to Xgl and patches for compiz to make use of it (like iXce's
> > ones, which were ignored).
> > 
> > So far the patched up compiz is working pretty good and makes it
> > effectively usable in such setups (aside of that those patches will
> > always drift away from official CVS and need to be touched for each
> > commit).
> > 
> > However it seems that there is the argument that the "Xinerama-Way" is
> > not the way to go. This might probably be true but on the other hand
> > there is no real information in what to approach instead afaik.
> > 
> > I guess there are people who would be interested in implementing such
> > "other" functionality, but (roughly) how should it be structured? Which
> > parts would need changes? Where to contribute best?
> > 
> > As far as I can judge, it would be better to include abstract multi-head
> > aware code in compiz already than at any later version.
> > 
> > Doing it some months later, it would probably need changes to all and
> > everything (compiz iself, any future plugins).
> > 
> > A better approach if the Non-Xinerama way to handle multi-head setups is
> > not clear yet, would be to implement "abstract helper" functions to be
> > able to drop-in the multi-head functionality (kind of what the Xinerama
> > patches do with the "Head" functions/handling).
> > 
> > This way an unofficial "brached patch" for Xinerama could be easily
> > maintained along the official code by extending the helper functions
> > leaving all plugins rather untouched (more or less).
> > 
> > Once it is clear which underlying system to use for handling of the
> > heads it could be added rather painlessly within the "helper functions"
> > instead of having to touch all plugins and compiz overall.
> > 
> > Of course the target should be to implement head handling at the proper
> > place (which is?) and make compiz use that information through it's API
> > but having the abstract functionality already would be for sure
> > progress.
> > 
> > Anyone else who would like to see this feature is asked to "vote" reply
> > to this post of course! :)
> > 
> > As usual though, great work with Xgl/compiz!
> > 
> > --- Martin Szulecki
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > compiz mailing list
> > compiz at lists.freedesktop.org
> > http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/compiz
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> compiz at lists.freedesktop.org
> http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/compiz
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