[Bug 403610] [NEW] kde 4.3 Multiple Monitors tells lies

[Chris Puttick]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: kdebase-workspace

Kubuntu 9.04 fresh install, fully patched. PPA added to install KDE 4.3
RC2. System Settings/Display shows my two monitors correctly (DVI-1,
DVI-0) and correctly identifies their available and preferred
resolutions (although configures the larger with the resolution of the
smaller).

xrandr reports:

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1280 x 1024, maximum 1440 x 1440
DVI-1 connected 1280x1024+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 338mm x 270mm
   1280x1024      60.0*+   75.0     60.0*
   1152x864       75.0
   1024x768       75.0     70.1     60.0
   832x624        75.0
   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2
   640x480        75.0     72.8     59.9
   720x400        70.1
DVI-0 connected 1280x1024+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 410mm x 257mm
   1440x900       59.9 +
   1280x1024      75.0     60.0*
   1280x960       60.0
   1152x864       75.0
   1024x768       75.0     70.1     60.0
   832x624        74.6
   800x600        72.2     75.0     60.3     56.2
   640x480        75.0     72.8     66.7     59.9
   720x400        70.1

However, selecting the Multiple Monitors section gets me:

"This module is only for configuring systems with a single desktop
spread across multiple monitors. You do not appear to have this
configuration."

Which is a lie. Although to be absolutely pedantic, it's true, I have
one desktop repeated on two monitors but would really, really like to
have "a single desktop spread across multiple monitors" - and had
presumed that's what the Multiple Monitors tab should be helping me to
achieve? If not, then how? If not, then maybe that message should
include the hint about how to get to that state so that Multiple
Monitors?

lspci:

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon X1650 Pro (rev 9e)
01:00.1 Display controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon X1650 Pro (Secondary) (rev 9e)

lsmod:

radeon                342816  2                                                
drm                    96296  3 radeon   

PC as a whole is a brand new Dell Optiplex 360.


Note for those with a similar problem and to save some posting time for the technical elite:
I know of two ways to manually enable two monitors as there was in KDE4.2, namely writing your own xorg.conf (can post my sample if others are interested) or using xrandr to achieve the desired result on a per session basis (although I had to add:
                SubSection       "Display"
        Virtual         2720 1024
                EndSubSection

into the otherwise generic "Screen" section of my xorg.conf to get
xrandr to allow me to use

xrandr --output DVI-0 --auto --output DVI-1 --right-of DVI-0

(you also have get the larger screen into the right resolution first by
disabling the smaller (DVI-1) and setting the larger to its preferred
resolution then reenabling the smaller). The size of the Virtual section
is the maximum of your virtual desktop as determined by the xrandr
output, in my case left plus right screens' widths and the height of the
tallest screen.

However, I can't see me explaining any of these workarounds to my
elderly mother...

** Affects: kdebase-workspace (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

-- 
kde 4.3 Multiple Monitors tells lies
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/403610
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