[Xfce-i18n] Screen vs Monitor

[Nick Schermer]

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 7:30 PM, Stavros Giannouris <stavrosg at hellug.gr> wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I'm trying to describe the two terms in the X Window System context so that
> I can provide good translations for them, but I'm a bit confused;
> I have some idea in my mind about this but I can quite put it down in
> writing, or it is too lengthy to be accepted in the UI.
>
> Can someone help me with this, or at least point me to somewhere not too
> techical to read?

It is indeed a bit confusing, and the difference might not be obvious
for most users (doesn't need to be), but this is how it works (at
least in Gtk+/Gdk):

The X server opens 1 display, a display contains >= 1 screens and a
screen contains >= 1 monitors. In real life you'd hardly see a setup
with > 1 screen and > 1 monitor; for example nvidia uses multiple
screens for each output (each containing a single monitors with the
size of the screen) and randr (intel/nouveau/..) 1 screen with
multiple monitors for each output. Another detail is that monitors can
overlap each other, screens cannot.

Now (I assume you are translating this) in case of the panel; when a
display setup uses monitors (randr), each output will have a name
(LVDS, VGA1, DVI1) which is used by the panel, so you'd hardly see
Monitor %d in the panel preferences.

Screens on the other hand cannot have names, so there the users always
sees Screen %d.

If I were you I'd just translate Monitor and Screen as-is; normal
users don't see a difference; but tech-users might know and (that's
the reason the panel uses different names for both) it provides useful
info in bug reports.

Hope that helps a bit.

Nick