So,

I run Ubuntu on my work laptop (Dell Latitude E6410 w/ NVIDA graphics) When at my desk it resides in a docking station connected to a larger monitor. I prefer to run in a single display using the larger monitor when at my desk.

In order to accomplish this I have to go into the nvidia cpanel and disable my laptop screen, even if I boot with the machine on the dock with the laptop closed.

Further more, should I wish to undock I need to manually enable my laptop display and disable my attached monitor before undocking. Should I need to connect to a projector to say present something I have to set my laptop to use the projector as the only display or use it as a secondary (clone doesn't appear to be an option).

Is there anything I can change to make display switching more intuitive? I'm going to rebuild my laptop soon and am open to switching distros, window managers, ect. Is this a driver (nvidia) problem, an X11 problem, a desktop environment problem, a window manager problem, or a user problem? (Do I have to research xwindows or something until I'm blue in the face?)

I've always had a hard time telling the difference between Xserver, the desktop environment, the window mangager. I also don't understand how they all interact. Is there some recommended reading on the subject?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Dylan