X.Org Server Finally Adapted To Better Deal With 16:9 & 16:10 Displays

[t.s.]

I guess it's the costs. 16:9 at 13 inch is just a smaller area then 16:10 at 13 inch...

And efficiency.. IIRC, I've read before that 16:9 is the size they can cut off the most from the source panel. So, if I cut the panel with 16:10 size, I get 10, then with 16:9 maybe I can get 12 or 13. Something like that.

[linuxgeex]

Lately I've been doing "the impossible" running a mixture of portrait and landscape displays:

#!/bin/bash

# reset all XRANDR settings:
xrandr --output VGA1 --off
xrandr --output LVDS1 --off
# initialize the main display:
xrandr --output HDMI1 --mode 1920x1080 --scale 1x1 --panning 0x0+0+0
# don't know why but this next step is necessary or scaling fails:
xrandr --output HDMI1 --scale 1x1 --panning 3840x2160+0+0 --fb 5520x2160
# finish setting up main display with fake 4k resolution:
xrandr --output HDMI1 --scale 2x2 --panning 3840x2160+0+0 --fb 5520x2160
# initialize and place second display:
# this is what the 2nd display initialization SHOULD look like
# however this results in a corrupted display:
#xrandr --output VGA1 --mode 1680x1050 --scale 1x1 \
#       --rotate left --panning 1050x1680+3840+480
# pretend the display is square; buggily pan within the square:
xrandr --output VGA1 --mode 1680x1050 --scale 1x1 \
       --rotate left --panning 1680x1680+3840+480
# trigger panning of display 2 to correct position:
xdotool mousemove 4889 2159 sleep 0.1 mousemove 3840 2159 sleep 0.1 mousemove 1920 1080;
# restart the window manager (compositor needs to know the display size changed)
xfwm4 --replace&
# restart the panel (so it fits the new main display)
xfce4-panel --restart&
# time for the CRTCs to settle down
sleep 5;
# calibration for display 2 to match dipslay 1 gamut...
# I tried using xrandr but it only manages gamma...
# xcalib only manages the second display for some reason...
xcalib -d $DISPLAY -s 0 -a -clear
xcalib -d $DISPLAY -s 0 -a -green 0.76 0.0 83.0
xcalib -d $DISPLAY -s 0 -a -red 0.78 2 82.0
xcalib -d $DISPLAY -s 0 -a -blue 0.79 2 100.0

This lets me put a 22" portrait monitor next to the 50" main display, scaled and positioned into a unified desktop, so I can put shells, notes, PDF reader, google off to the side and have the main display less cluttered. It's really nice.

I've been writing my own modelines since 1994. I had a dozen modelines to optimise my display for X-MAME for various games and X-MAME would pull up the mode that best fit the game. Several of the modes were portrait (ie 224x288 with pixel doubling and timings to center it) modes on a landscape display, which wasn't ideal but still a lot better than than the alternative (picking wrong aspect ratio mode because it "fit" better.)

The whole reason I own a portrait monitor is for playing portrait arcade classics :-)