Re: Controlling displays on a multi head system

[Joe <joe@jretrading.com>]

Frank H. Baker wrote:
> I have a question about controlling displays in a multi head system.
> I have three monitors connected to my computer, and I want the 
> console to display on one of these and the other two to be unadorned.
> I am running the current Debian distribution, which on boot displays
> a desktop on all three screens.
>
> Q: How can I prevent adornment appearing on the 2nd and 3rd monitors?
>
> I am implementing a new version of a program I wrote perhaps ten 
> years ago, and ran it at that time under Mandrake Linux, which gave
> me a cross hatch background on the secondary screens, allowing
> my program to occupy the full screen real estate.  My current 
> workaround is to use Fluxbox as a window manager, which has a
> minimal presence on the monitor, but there must be a more direct
> and complete solution to this problem.  I've done my best looking
> through the gui boot sequence, but I see nothing obvious there,
> and a lot in those files is more then I'm up to.

I don't know if it's any help, but I've just inadvertently entered this 
field. I wanted to hook my Aspire netbook (on Ubuntu NR) up to an 
external monitor, so plugged one in, and it stayed black. I tried 
'xrandr' (no arguments) from the command line, and besides listing the 
displays, it caused the monitor to wake up and behave as you wish, with 
no bars visible. Windows could be dragged from the netbook screen to the 
monitor. When I booted with the monitor plugged in, it was as you 
describe, the monitor showed the same display as the netbook.

So I'd suggest investigating xrandr, which ought to be configurable to 
do what you need.

--
Joe