KDE 4 does not allow me to use all of my displays

[losmurfs]

I have a triple headed system, one display on Intel and two on ATI. In KDE 3.5 I can not drag apps from ATI to Intel or Intel to ATI but both ATI and Intel have Kickers and Desktops. In KDE 4 all three heads work but the Intel display has no Kicker/Klauncher and no Desktop so to run anything on my Intel display (:0.1) I have to type the following into Konsole:

export DISPLAY=:0.1; xterm

Note that

export DISPLAY=:0.1; konsole

brings up konsole on :0.0

Once in xterm on :0.1 I can launch netbeans or eclipse on :0.1 but konsole and other KDE apps go straight to :0.0

Please let me know what I can do to make KDE 4 as useful as KDE 3.5

[mchuskie]

Re: KDE 4 does not allow me to use all of my displays

My guess at your current setup, then: (ATi with MergedFB) plus Intel, no Xinerama.

My guess at what's wrong: While your X config is the same (there is an X server running on :0.1) KDE is no longer creating one instance of itself per X display. Note that KDE 'sees' your ATI dual screen as one big screen, due to the way MergedFB works.

Possible solution with drawback: set things up as a Xinerama triple-head setup (or MergedFB with Xinerama 'two'-head setup). Advantage: you can drag windows across all screens. Disadvantage: say goodbye to eye-candy. It's also more difficult to set up than, say, the "perhaps easier solution" below.

Perhaps easier solution - start KDE manually on the second screen - "export DISPLAY=:0.1; kwin" perhaps?

This is off the top of my head, but worth a try.

[losmurfs]

Re: KDE 4 does not allow me to use all of my displays

Tried:

export DISPLAY=:0.1; /usr/lib/kde4/bin/kwin

it complains that there already is a window manager running

Then I tried:

export DISPLAY=:0.1; /usr/lib/kde4/bin/kwin --replace

It visibly replaced the window manager on the ATI displays.

I wish I could use Xinerama, it only works when I use just the Intel or just the ATI, but when I use both together Xorg crashes.