Zaphod mode (dual head) with Xfce 4.16?

[Jeffery Small]

Ulli Horlacher <framstag at rus.unistuttgart.de> writes:

>On  https://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15116#c24 you wrote:

>> On my primary screen, I have the workspace switcher set up for eight
>> different workspaces and have been using this configuration successfully
>> for years.  Now, although I still cannot run a separate Xfce4 desktop
>> manager or panel on the second screen, I was shocked to discover that
>> I could switch to eight different workspaces on the second screen,
>> independent of the first display!

>This could be a workaround for me, too.  How do you switch the workspaces
>on your second screen (=2nd monitor?) without a panel and workspace
>switcher applet?

>I figured out to start X11 programs on the second screen with:
>DISPLAY=:0.1 <program> <args...>

>At least I could place my webbrowser on the second screen this way...

At the transition between 18.04 and 18.10 Olivier Fourdan, who I believe
was working on the xfwm window manager, was trying to address the issue.
Maybe there was some trick back in 18.10 that semi-restored the monitor
desktop independence, but whatever it was is a relic of history.  I came
to believe that the problem might actually originate with the transition
from GTK2 to GTK3 to GTK4, where the loss of functionality was taking
place.  GTK (and Qt) have been responsible for a lot of problems affecting
a lot of things.  Anyway, I eventually threw up my hands and accepted
a desktop that spans both monitors from 18.10 onward.  I can now only
change desktops on both monitors as a unit.  The loss of independence truly
cripples productivity.  Why people working on software like this are
willing to throw away important features like this is beyond my ability
to understand.

I wish I could suggest something, but I've got nothing. :-(

Speaking of senseless loss of functionality, the Firefox browser (to take
but one example) continues to honor the --geometry window size parameters,
but will not honor the screen positioning values.  This is just plain
nutty and incredibly frustrating.  Every time I open a browser, I have to
manually reposition it!


>nn was my first newsreader, 35 years ago ;-)

Hard to believe I'm still using it, but it continues to be the most
productive way to process my news, including all my mailing lists which get
fed into local newsgroups.

Best of luck on moving forward.

Regards,
--
Jeffery Small