X configuration tool (Re: Two rather negative articles about Ubuntu)

[Jerry Haltom]

Ideally the only configuration that would be required would simply be
the resolution and position on a Xinerama space for each output device.

We already have the beginning of this in the Xrandr applet. A direction
to go might be to add modification of the xinerama space to Xrandr, or
another related X extension. Then it could be topped off with a UI which
saved the display arrangement and loaded it on login, just like it does
now with Screen Resolution.

Ideally then, there is no configuration file. The server just starts,
all graphics devices are probed, and GDM launches on the first (or other
numerically identified display). On login, the user's session uses the X
extension to layout the Xinerama space.

On Fri, 2006-07-07 at 16:21 -0700, Matt Zimmerman wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 08, 2006 at 01:16:03AM +0200, Jan Claeys wrote:
> > On vr, 2006-07-07 at 12:20 -0700, Matt Zimmerman wrote:
> > > On Thu, Jul 06, 2006 at 11:00:14PM +0200, Jan Claeys wrote:
> > > > Which is why e.g. a user-friendly X-config tool is a goal for edgy
> > > > AFAIK...  :-)
> > > 
> > > It is?  Who is writing it?
> > 
> > Well, at least there was a lot of talk about writing one...
> 
> Talk, as they say, is cheap.  ;-) I'm not aware of any actual development
> happening on such a tool, or plans for same.
> 
> I'd be interested to hear about existing tools that we could integrate; such
> a tool wouldn't be specific to Ubuntu at all.
> 
> I don't expect the X.org community to put any effort into this, since
> apparently their goal is to eliminate the need for the configuration file in
> the common case.
> 
> -- 
>  - mdz
>