Unique Dual Monitor Setup Wanted

[mhumm2]

I'm not sure this post is in the right forum.

I have a 32" 4K monitor I use it as my main monitor. I also have a 24" monitor that it replaced and I want to use it as well. I find that I'm doing a lot more in the terminal these days and thought it would be great to have the 24" come up as a dedicated terminal. I don't want it to be an extension of the main monitor, but rather a separate monitor that I can switch to in some way like Ctl-Alt-F2 to switch to a tty screen or something similar. Any ideas?

I'm running a GTX-1050Ti gfx card. The card has 2 outputs so that's not a problem. The X11 config file is the challenge. I've researched this online and found there's practically no demand for this kind of a setup so there's no supply of resources or config ideas. I think it would be fun to configure and use or should I just shut-up and color?

[oshunluvr]

The reason there's no demand for this any more is it's a PITA to set up. You're looking at a multi-seat or multiple X sessions. Either way you still only have one keyboard and you'd have to learn the commands or build a script to move from one session to the other.

Why would you want to do this the hard way? The simplest solution is the usually best. KDE Plasma gives you all the tools you need to do this without fancy, difficult, and complicated X set ups and without locking your second monitor to a single task. Try this:

Set up dual monitors with your 24" off to one side or the other - I would put it in portrait mode myself.
Set the 32" with whatever pretty wallpaper you want and as the "Default" monitor.
Open Konsole and put it on the 24" monitor.
Open System Settings and set the "Window Rules" for konsole and set the "Size and Position" and set "No Title bar and Frame" to "Force".
You may have to fiddle with setting within Konsole also.
Once it's set, toggle " System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Desktop Session > Restore manually saved session " and apply.
Then an option to save the current session will appear. Save it and log out.
You should then see your desktop as you left it.

I have set my Konsole up this way on my 38" wide screen (single monitor). I have Konsole "stuck" to the right side of the screen with a transparent background.


Alternately, you can ditch the 24" and use Yakuake terminal like this:


It drops down from whatever location you choose.

As you can see I have both options available when I need terminal time (every day).

The major benefit to both these options - other than they are marvelously easy to set up - is you can use the 24" for other things when the need arises, like to put a video on while you're working.

The only thing I can think of you can't do from these set ups is move your home folder (basically - anything that would require your user to be logged out of the desktop).

[claydoh]

I do something similar, with a 24 inch monitor as the main screen, and my 40" TV as a secondary screen, turned on when needed via the Monitor config systray icon. I primarily use it for gaming., but the setup does work well for viewing documents while working
I too am a long time Yaquake user, it is the first thing I do after installing an OS.





Ya, I shoulda taken separate screenshots...

[claydoh]

This is a bit better

[woodsmoke]

Hi
This has been a very interesting thread!

HOWEVER I would offer one caveat!

I decided to try to make a setup that had a monitor that was PHYSICALLY placed in PORTRAIT MODE... to work on grading papers submitted by students and also work on my ongoing dystopian universe novel.

IT WORKED GREAT!!! I used Xrander and it really DID work great!

But... the "phosphors / matrix" of the monitor was designed to be in landscape and the HEAT, I THINK from the lights on the edges "overloaded" the phosphors / matrix, one day and the screen went dead, dead as in dead.

I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WOULD APPLY to the newest screens, they may be differently constructed.
So...just sayin' that just because it CAN be done maybe does not mean that it SHOULD be done in terms of reorienting physical hardware.

but...again...

Interesting thread!

woodsmoke

[oshunluvr]

What year was that Woody? Unless it was a CRT or Plasma those things don't happen any more I don't think.

If a manufacturer sold you a monitor with a rotating base it's safe to assume it's OK to use it rotated.