I will point some things about Xinerama which I don't found in the list, but I
am
tempted to expose some non-Xinerama issues which many people have pointed too.
So skip until Multihead section if you are interested but don't have time
enough.
Athcool:
I have tried any software possible (?) but I prefer 'powernowd' which was
successful
in mad tasks such as my old amd64 3500's overclocking: I used to have my
processor with
his default fan at speed limits not googled ;> and even impossible rates for
Windows XP
(which downsized by a half the bogomips in my old machine) craziness [...] The
thing
remained cool all the time.
Suspend:
In the Linux side, other capabilities like software suspend really sucked in
every computer
tested, including my new Laptop HP dv8305. And I even don't need to repeat
anything about
'network interfaces', /dev/cryptopsy, neither including 5 in 1 cards support or
the mystery
behind the Linux keyboard support: my keyboard lost 4 keys.
However, HP dv8000 series are good enough and I can't realize how to adjust the
budget
only for suspending my chick: Thinkpads are actually expensive. And I think the
main goal on
using GNU/Linux is about pushing out the capabilities of cheap hardware... I
know...
Video Drivers:
I have tortured my self trying to get ati drivers working. Though I realized
how to
get the 3D extension working properly after _three months_ of struggling with
linux 2.6.17
+ Xorg 7.1 + fglrx drivers. I find interesting ati drivers doesn't depend at all
on Xinerama to get 'multihead' support, there is 'MergedFB'. I think nvidia has
already an
extension like that, but I cannot remember.
Multihead:
---------------------------
I don't agree with some arguments proposed in early posts. There are very many
ways of serious
criticism on the techno-empiricism exposed here: In my modest opinion (which is
not mine indeed)
the brain is just tied to the senses but no directly "co-responsible" in the
cognitive functions,
so is not possible to measure the cognitive capabilities of one individual or
his psychical-motor
development in the perspective of his angle of vision [...] That is indeed a
reductionist
explanation, and the possibilities into the multihead settings are not just
focused on vision
but rater in the interaction and expressiveness.
----------------------------
That said, multihead would be a good "penis extension" if you think about
graphic design,
the torturing GUI programming (there are no VIS nowadays ;)), writing in
pdf-latex and so on.
Ion 3ds-20061223 is great, behaves better with those named floating windows,
but dividing
the screen by two in 17" monitors perhaps is not good enough.
Finally, I am just thinking about the technical possibility of making work Ion
with some
Xinerama alternative, perhaps MergedFB on ati devices. Maybe repeating somebody
in the list,
would be possible to point in that direction considering there are not much
documentation about?
Ion is the best thing that happened into the GNU/Linux 'desktops' (a true
revolution which
perhaps Tuomo itself even don't realize) so I don't abandon the hope ...
--
If god exists, would be not necessary to invent him.
Mario G.H.
