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mpancha · Apr 6, 2006, 11:38 AM

Is this available as a plugin or system hack?

I use dual screen when at work off my iBook. The one thing that annoys me to no end is when I open an application that would benefit from being on a higher resolution screen (1280x1024 instead of the iBook's 1024x768) such as Dreamweaver/Photoshop.... I have to manually move every little window from that program to the other screen. Is there a way to just have a program always open on the second monitor if one is available? I know Nvidia and ATI both have this available for PCs.

Another thing would be shifting the menu bar to the focused screen. I'd love to see that.

OreoCookie · Apr 6, 2006, 12:05 PM

AFAIK most apps appear on the main screen (the one with the Dock and the menu bar), some exceptions are DVD player for instance where you can choose the screen the movie is supposed to be played on.

You can change the main screen in the Sys Prefs by dragging the menu bar to the appropriate screen.

harrisjamieh · Apr 6, 2006, 12:08 PM

You should be able to dragthe programs over to the 2nd screen, and when you close them and re-open them, they will auto open on the 2nd screen. I think, however, that if you detach the 2nd screen, and then open the program, this will revert back, and you will have to do it again when you hook the extra display up.

As for the menu bar - go into sys prefs, then display, then arrangement. To move the menu bar from the internal screen to the connected screen, click and drag the small white bar at the top of the box representing your internal screen onto the box representing your external display.

I hope you can follow that - difficult to explain!!

Nai no Kami · Apr 6, 2006, 12:12 PM

Shouldn't the Display Preferences pane allow you to do that?. I don't have a second monitor to test it, but it allows you to arrange the primary and secondary displays and shift the menubar. Is your dual screen feature activated via a hack?. I don't remember if the iBooks couldn't do mirroring or spanning. Anyway, the arrangement tab should allow you to grab the screens and the menubar and arrange them freely.

mpancha · Apr 6, 2006, 02:26 PM

the display pref pane lets you specify which screen is your primary screen and then all apps will open there. The thing is, I just want specific applications on the second monitor, and I want this setting to stick when I switch monitors. My iBook is my primary computer, so it goes to work and home with me. It would be nice if I could work on say a graphic at work on photoshop on the second screen. Close shop for the day, and then head home and at night when I finish up stuff, just plug in the second monitor and everything is back to how I had it at work.

Nai no Kami >> I used the Spanning Dr hack on my ibook, and honestly, no problems with performance or heat since I applied the patch. its just another case of a vendor disabling a feature because they can, not due to limitations of technology.

tooki · Apr 6, 2006, 04:12 PM

The OS actually is smart enough to remember different configurations for different hardware setups.

For example, if you want the menu bar on the external screen and set it that way, when you disconnect the external screen, the menu bar will be smart enough to move to the internal display. But even better, when you hook the external back up, the menu bar will move back to the external screen.

Most apps won't be that smart, but I think a few are.

tooki

mpancha · Apr 7, 2006, 11:35 AM

Yesterday I set up everything on my iBook (connected to an external monitor) to where the menu was on the external, and the external was the primary monitor.

Left work, and left my ibook at work, it fell asleep on its own at some point after I left. Got in today, finally had a chance to sit down and work on some layouts, and lo and behold.... everything is not how I left it.

Now its just beyond frustrating.

tooki · Apr 7, 2006, 01:34 PM

Why is that frustrating? It did exactly what it was supposed to do. The display configuration didn't change, so everything stayed exactly where it was.

tooki

icruise · Apr 7, 2006, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by tooki

Why is that frustrating? It did exactly what it was supposed to do. The display configuration didn't change, so everything stayed exactly where it was.

tooki

Didn't he say things were not how he left them?

mpancha -- What changed?

mpancha · Apr 7, 2006, 11:13 PM

tooki >> I said they went back to how they were pre-change.

lcruise >> the default settings are menu/primary monitor is the LCD, and the attached monitor is jsut there for spanning. I followed the steps in harrisjamieh's post, and set the attached monitor to be the primary. Then to test it, I unplugged the second monitor, put the computer to sleep, woke it up, reattached the second monitor... and the changes I made (making 2nd monitor be the primary) did not stick.

icruise · Apr 7, 2006, 11:17 PM

Hmm. When I used my PowerBook with an external monitor it would remember things like which monitor was primary/secondary, as well as the physical arrangement of the displays. Apps, on the other hand, would get dumped to the PowerBook's internal LCD when I unplugged the external monitor, and would stay there even if I plugged it back in. This meant that a lot of windows would get resized and so forth. So if I knew that I wouldn't need to use the apps in question while away from my desk, I would make sure to close them before disconnecting the display. Then they would remember their positions when I opened them again after connecting the external display. Usually, anyway. Entourage for one always appeared on the main screen.

I'm not sure what to tell you, mpancha.

mchladek · Apr 7, 2006, 11:25 PM

Well, I'm assuming you're using a hack since none of the iBooks now nor any past iBooks that I know of support dual monitors only video mirroring. I'm assuming it has something to do with that.

kick52 · Apr 8, 2006, 08:36 AM

does the ibook have a tv output? that would be quite handy, for dvds and other apps (dreamweaver, perhaps photoshop.) but i dont know if that would support such a high res, and tv out for computers is always quite flickery and blurry. its like that with my PowerMac G3 Beige Mini Tower. Also, when i start up, the output is always in NTSC, and i dont know if there is any way to fix that, but, then again, this is in Mac OS 9.2.2, so i dont know if this would occur in OS X, but i havent seen any option in any part of the prefs, unless it auto-recognises the TV.

Give it a go.

gnomexp · Apr 8, 2006, 09:26 AM

Just remember all, the iBook in no way supports multi-monitor configurations. It's your hack's problem, not the iBook.

mpancha · Apr 8, 2006, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by mpancha

I used the Spanning Dr hack on my ibook, and honestly, no problems with performance or heat since I applied the patch. its just another case of a vendor disabling a feature because they can, not due to limitations of technology.

I've taken apart many an Apple machine.... there is no technological limitation for the iBook not to support spanning. Its just so Apple can list spanning as a feature on the powerbook and make it seem like it is worth the extra several hundred. (that's just my professional opinion).

I've tested this on a few powerbooks at work, and have come across the same problem. I tried this on several 12", 15" and 17" powerbooks. I can setup everything the way I like it, unhook monitors, change exteranl monitors, restart computers... quite a few combinations... and in the end, my changed do not stick.

One more thing to throw on the to do list for Apple, which will never get taken care of. Its a minor inconvenience, but when you are working, and in the mindset, and you've gotten into your flow... and suddenly things are not how you left it, it just messes up your workflow and wastes precious seconds/minutes.

Oh well, I'll live

tooki · Apr 8, 2006, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Icruise

Didn't he say things were not how he left them?

mpancha -- What changed?

Gah! I read it 3 times to make sure I got it right, and somehow the word "not" still was elusive!

tooki

spauldingg · Apr 8, 2006, 02:11 PM

In recent versions of photoshop (and other apps) you can arrange windows and pallets where you want them and save them with a name. Make one with the way you want it for the dual display mode, and call it "dual display" and when photoshop opens when attached to the second monitor after being used with just the laptops screen, just choose your config from the window menu.

I know this doesn't solve your main issue, but will save you some annoyance.

mpancha · Apr 8, 2006, 04:45 PM

spauldingg >> that actually would save a huge annoyance for me. I'll check and see if PHotoshop CS has that as a feature. Now if Indesign and Dreamweaver also have that feature, that at least will save me a few cuss words I can save for when I'm driving!