[comp.sys.mac] Virtual Monitors

stuart@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (S. D. Ericson) (01/04/90)

In article <17542@rpp386.cactus.org>, mgodwin@rpp386.cactus.org (Mike Godwin) writes:
> In article <9191@cbmvax.commodore.com> daveh@cbmvax.commodore.com (Dave Haynie) writes:
In article <17514@rpp386.cactus.org>, mgodwin@rpp386.cactus.org (Mike Godwin) writes:
> >> is, they were talking about having all the monitors connected AND
> >> acting like a single monitor. 
> >That's certainly a cool feature of the Mac OS.  But do they actually call
> >it a "Virtual Monitor" facility?  That doesn't sound like what it really
> >does for you.  The Amiga's Intuition interface has a feature that's more
> >like what I'd think of as virtual monitors -- it can support any number of
> >separate monitor displays on a single monitor, via kind of a superwindow
> 
> Heh. Sorry if I've treaded on someone else's nomenclature. I don't know

Well, to nitpick here, I would agree with Mike.  The Amiga has a *very*
useful feature which should be called Virtual Screens - it is akin to
Switcher - a special command switches you between screens of information,
all separate.

But Virtual Monitor is a correct way to describe the Mac II handling of
multiple monitors, because it treats all of them as if they were one
Big (if not weirdly shaped) monitor.  The Virtual Monitor is the
logical connection of all the separate REAL monitors.  The Amiga's
Virtual Screens (my term) are not actually separate screens, but
representations of them.

Did I clear that up any?

Have we beaten this to death yet?

More interesting question: How many of you out there are Running
multiple monitors?  More than two?  I think people would be interested
in any Especially 'fun' configurations or Side-effects  (like getting
the cursor lost because the screen 'below' is wider than the one
with the menubar...)

Stuart
-- 
Stuart Ericson                  AT&T Bell Laboratories    | Note: area code 312
USEnet: att!ihlpa!stuart        IH 1C215                  |   becomes 708 on
ARPA:   stuart@ihlpa.att.com    2000 N. Naperville Road   |   11/11 Thanks to 
Voice:  (312) 979-4491          Naperville, Il 60566-7033 |   Illinois Bell :-(

bannon@andromeda.rutgers.edu.rutgers.edu (Ron Bannon) (01/06/90)

>More interesting question: How many of you out there are Running
>multiple monitors?  More than two?  I think people would be interested
>in any Especially 'fun' configurations or Side-effects  (like getting
>the cursor lost because the screen 'below' is wider than the one
>with the menubar...)
>
>Stuart
>-- 
>Stuart Ericson                  AT&T Bell Laboratories    | Note: area code 312
>USEnet: att!ihlpa!stuart        IH 1C215                  |   becomes 708 on
>ARPA:   stuart@ihlpa.att.com    2000 N. Naperville Road   |   11/11 Thanks to 
>Voice:  (312) 979-4491          Naperville, Il 60566-7033 |   Illinois Bell :-(

I'm running two monitors (FPD and MAC SE) and it is impossible to lose the
cursor, the cursor is never allowed to leave the screen. You must configure the
monitors (via software) so they are side by side, the relative elevation is
adjustable and this is what determines the path between the screens.

Ron Bannon
bannon@andromeda.rutgers.edu
bannon@math.rutgers.edu



Ron Bannon
bannon@andromeda.rutgers.edu
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Is George Bush a traitor? Read "October Surprise" by Honegger. Send for details.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

mitchell@cbmvax.commodore.com (Fred Mitchell - PA) (01/09/90)

In article <12572@cbnewsc.ATT.COM> stuart@cbnewsc.ATT.COM (S. D. Ericson) writes:
>...
>Well, to nitpick here, I would agree with Mike.  The Amiga has a *very*
>useful feature which should be called Virtual Screens - it is akin to
>Switcher - a special command switches you between screens of information,
>all separate.

It seems to be a matter of semantics and/or terminology, but the Amiga
Screens are more than Virtual- they can have their own independent
resolutions, palettes, plane-depths, etc. They are also draggable, so
that more than one screen can be viewed simultaneously. Each screen is
a TOTALLY SEPERATE ENTITY, with its own seperate bitmap. I can render
_directly_ into one bitmap (screen) and it won't affect the other bitmaps 
(screens).

>But Virtual Monitor is a correct way to describe the Mac II handling of
>multiple monitors, because it treats all of them as if they were one
>Big (if not weirdly shaped) monitor.  

Sounds interesting- love to see that sometime. But won't it confuse
the interface a bit- espically if half my paint program is on one and
the other half is on the other? Do they all have to be identical monitors?
How is the screen broken up? Vertically? Horizontally? Both?

>The Virtual Monitor is the
>logical connection of all the separate REAL monitors.  The Amiga's
>Virtual Screens (my term) are not actually separate screens, but
>representations of them.

Again- a matter of semantics.

>Did I clear that up any?

:-)

>Have we beaten this to death yet?

:-(

>More interesting question: How many of you out there are Running
>multiple monitors?  More than two?  I think people would be interested
>in any Especially 'fun' configurations or Side-effects  (like getting
>the cursor lost because the screen 'below' is wider than the one
>with the menubar...)

I am currently running two monitors (yes-real monitors!) on my Amiga-
a RGB monitor and a (giant - 1008 x 800) MONITERM monitor. Basically,
I use the MONITERM for its large resolution. Great for fitting large
documents on the screen at once.  The RGB monitor handles all other
Amiga resolution modes. 

 
>Stuart

	-Mitchell
	 mitchell@cbmvax.UUCP
	 To Life, Immortal.