I don't have a problem with using an INI file. My understanding is that it will be manipulated by software but of course the settings have to be kept somewhere. My problem is with the rather simplistic view on multi-monitor support that the example INI file shows. Multi-monitor is all about, well, multiple monitors. Each multi-monitor configuration is different than the other. Say I have a notebook. I can use it as a single screen for most of the time. But when I get to work I plug an external monitor. When I get back home I plug a different monitor. The system has to keep track of the different combinations of monitors I have used and use the last setup for the particular monitor combination until I change the settings (and yes, the settings include cloning or the placement of the displays relative to each other)! That's what Mac OS X was doing back in 2006 when I first tried it and I guess it has been doing it for much longer. I'm not saying that we should copy Mac OS X because it's Mac OS X. We should copy the behaviour because it's the best usability-wise.
Multi-monitor support is a a pain the ass on Linux these days. It seems the basic support is there - you can set up resolutions, although those are not remembered by X. But the window managers' support is a mess. KWin shoots up to 100% CPU when I plug the external display to my notebook. Same with Gnome 3. There were problems with XFCE and LXDE (although I don't remember the exact nature). The only one that worked reasonably well is Unity. But plug a different display and the setting for your old display are gone. And, in any case, the display manager has a different idea of what the monitor layout should look like.
I think the multi-monitor layout configuration should be handled by X/Wayland. When the graphics system is started it should be configured the same way as the last time for that particular combination of monitors. Anything that runs on top, including display managers should just take notice and configure itself accordingly. It really is a pity that Linux multi-monitor support is such usability nightmare considering that technically the problem is already solved. If only someone would implement the sane behaviour at the right place. And use INI files if he wants to
Multi-monitor support is a a pain the ass on Linux these days. It seems the basic support is there - you can set up resolutions, although those are not remembered by X. But the window managers' support is a mess. KWin shoots up to 100% CPU when I plug the external display to my notebook. Same with Gnome 3. There were problems with XFCE and LXDE (although I don't remember the exact nature). The only one that worked reasonably well is Unity. But plug a different display and the setting for your old display are gone. And, in any case, the display manager has a different idea of what the monitor layout should look like.
I think the multi-monitor layout configuration should be handled by X/Wayland. When the graphics system is started it should be configured the same way as the last time for that particular combination of monitors. Anything that runs on top, including display managers should just take notice and configure itself accordingly. It really is a pity that Linux multi-monitor support is such usability nightmare considering that technically the problem is already solved. If only someone would implement the sane behaviour at the right place. And use INI files if he wants to
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