From: Angus Dorbie (dorbie++at++sgi.com)
Date: 02/15/2000 16:50:49
Well it might add a few problems of it's own.
The xinerama stuff AFAIK is a single stream of input.
The origin reset is easily fixed in software by tracking input window
and the multipipe performance scales well fairly transparently with
performer, that's one of the huge advantages of using Performer.
Carefull what you wish for.
Cheers,ANgus.
Chris Chuter wrote:
>
> Are there any plans for SGI to upgrade to X11R4 or higher in the future? We've
> been sitting on X11R3 for a while. X11R4+ promises Xinerama which would solve
> many of the multiple head problems (mouse x,y getting reset, dragging windows
> across, etc.).
>
> -chris
>
> --- Allan Schaffer <allan++at++sgi.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 13, 2:33pm, Tammy Martin wrote:
> > > Does anyone know how to configure the dual monitors on the
> > > SGI Octane to work as one large screen? I would like the
> > > capability to move graphics windows from one monitor to the other
> > > monitor just like they were one large X-Windows screen?
> >
> > You can't.
> >
> > With multiple graphics heads such as the 'dual-head' options on
> > Octane each head operates as a separate X screen, totally independent
> > of the others. You can open up windows individually on each screen
> > of course but can't move them from one to the other, and can't have a
> > single window spanning multiple X screens.(*)
> >
> > (*) Only exception is the cursor. There's some extra magic built in
> > to make it disappear on one screen and appear on another when you
> > move it from head to head.
> >
> > [All this is a completely different beast than a multi-channel setup
> > such as that on the InfiniteReality system or Octane Channel
> > Option. In those cases you -can- move windows from one 'monitor' to
> > another, because each monitor is simply displaying a pixel-offset
> > region of the same framebuffer.]
> >
> > It's pretty easy to get this terminology confused since X windows
> > takes some rather mundane words (screen, display, etc) and gives them
> > distinct meaning. Grabbing from an earlier writeup:
> >
> > An X screen has a one-to-one mapping with the concepts embodied in a
> > pipe, a head, a framebuffer. An X display is a collection of X
> > screens, all tied together with a single input event stream (ie, one
> > keyboard & mouse). A channel (typically representing a single
> > viewport) in these terms is a pixel-offset region of the framebuffer
> > and is displayed by the monitor on your desk.
> >
> > Given the X ":display.screen" notation,
> > ie: setenv DISPLAY :0.0
> >
> > - There's a 1-to-1 correlation of X screens to graphics pipes.
> > - An X Display is made up of one or more X screens (:0.0, :0.1, etc)
> > - each X Display loosely corresponds to one user -- literally, one
> > input stream.
> > - There is one X server (Xsgi) per X Display.
> >
> > The hierarchy is display<--screen<--channel
> >
> > So on a single-pipe system, there is:
> >
> > - one keyboard, so one X Display (0)
> > - one framebuffer, so one X Screen (:0.0).
> > - possibly multiple channels (pixel offset in the framebuffer, all on :0.0)
> >
> > On a two-pipe system, there are two possibilities, depending upon
> > whether it's a single-keyboard or multi-keyboard config:
> >
> > either
> >
> > - one keyboard, one X Display (0)
> > - two framebuffers, two X screens (:0.0 and :0.1)
> > - possibly multiple channels (pixel offset in each framebuffer)
> >
> > or
> >
> > - two keyboards, two X Displays (0 and 1)
> > - two framebuffers, two X screens [one on each display] (:0.0 and :1.0)
> > - possibly multiple channels (pixel offset in each framebuffer)
> >
> > It's easiest to visualize this hierarchy with a diagram. An Onyx2
> > InfiniteReality system with one keyboard, two pipes, three channels
> > on the first pipe, and four channels on the second pipe would have a
> > X control layout as follows:
> >
> >
> > /--Channel (0,0 - 1280, 512)
> > /--- X Screen <-- Channel (0,512 - 640,1024)
> > / \--Channel (640,512 - 1280,1024)
> > /
> > X Display
> > \
> > \ /--Channel (0,0 - 640,512)
> > \--- X Screen <-- Channel (640,0 - 1280,512)
> > \--Channel (0,512 - 640,1024)
> > \-Channel (640,512 - 1280,1024)
> >
> > (I made up the positioning of the channels; tools like ircombine or
> > setmon are what you use for this)
> >
> > So, the immobile barrier for a window -- or anything on the display
> > -- is the X screen. You can move a window around on its own X screen
> > (and perhaps this window will be partially visible in the various
> > channels) but you can't move it or overlap from screen to screen.
> >
> > Allan
> >
> > --
> > Allan Schaffer allan++at++sgi.com
> > Silicon Graphics http://reality.sgi.com/allan
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > List Archives, FAQ, FTP: http://www.sgi.com/software/performer/
> > Submissions: info-performer++at++sgi.com
> > Admin. requests: info-performer-request++at++sgi.com
> >
>
> =====
> Chris Chuter
> Software Engineer
> Mojave Computer Graphics
> cchuter++at++texas.net
> http://www.texas.net/~cchuter/
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