dual monitors as deal breaker

[Ace_NoOne]

Hello all,

Yesterday I finally got a friend to give Linux/(K)Ubuntu a try.
He actually intended to make the switch from Windows if things worked nicely.

While there were some tricky issues, I almost had him convinced that this was gonna work eventually.

However, we just couldn't get the dual-monitor setup to work in a simple plug & play fashion.
That is, he expected to be able to use two screens when his laptop is plugged into the docking station. When undocking the laptop, it should automatically switch to using only the laptop screen - when docking it again, it should restore the previous dual-screen configuration.
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be possible (e.g. restarting X is required after docking/undocking).
As much as I hate to say this, but Vista does that without any problems - so Ubuntu looks deficient in comparison.

Consider this a rant, as I'm really disappointed right now - and not just because I look like a fool, having told him Linux was no worse than Windows with regards to hardware support...

[hhhhhx]

try envy, it will get dual monitors working better than windows

[p_quarles]

I've moved this Ubuntu Testimonials & Experiences, as this does not seem to be a request for support.

I noticed that this is your first post. You might also try asking for help on this problem before giving up. Of course, ultimately you should use the operating system that works best for you.

[shad0w_walker]

I suggest you wait about 3 months now for the release of 8.04, which will include the new Xorg server and get you setup with nice, easy plug and play monitors.

[Ace_NoOne]

Thanks for the (frighteningly quick) responses!


You might also try asking for help on this problem before giving up.
We've done a lot of research - and many people seem to have similar problems, so I figured it wasn't worth creating yet another thread on this issue...

But if you guys are telling me it is possible, that we just need to invest some more effort, I'd be happy to give it another try!


I suggest you wait about 3 months now for the release of 8.04, which will include the new Xorg server and get you setup with nice, easy plug and play monitors.
That sounds very promising - we'll revisit this issue in a few months then.

Thanks again!

[shad0w_walker]

Good luck with it.

Also, if you don't mind giving him a helping hand every now and then you can probably get your mate using 8.04 when it hits the beta version, I have run the last 2 releases since beta and both have been basically rock solid (Might just be luck)

Either way, with 8.04 the dual monitor issue should be basically resolved for most people.

[Ace_NoOne]

Also, if you don't mind giving him a helping hand every now and thenI wouldn't mind at all - but I'm not exactly an expert myself...


you can probably get your mate using 8.04 when it hits the beta versionI guess we'll rather wait for the public release.
Nevertheless, I'm hopeful again now... :)