xorg.conf for dual monitors

Ok, it turns out xinerama is pretty much depreciated in favor of RandR 1.2, which is fairly nifty. Also the XFCE installed supports dual monitors using RandR 1.2. If you have an external hooked up, it will put it to the right of your laptop. If you don't have an external connected to it then everything will work as it did before (and the negatives below would not apply to it)

By default if you have a monitor plugged into your computer when it's turned on, then it will default to an extended desktop. If you don't, you should be able to plug a monitor in and then press Fn-F5 until it shows both.

A few negatives to note with using this:

* For the intel chipset in this computer, the maximum output with DRI (For use with xcomposite) is 2048x2048. This basically lets you use a 1024x768 monitor beside it if you still want compiz. (If you want to use compiz, change the Virtual line from 2944 1200 to 2048 2048)

* If you're using the default and not advanced setup (and this possible does the same thing for advanced) and have a monitor hooked in, when you click on the power button on the panel it shows for a split second, then disappears. You'll need to use the power button to turn it off.

Code:

# Xorg configuration created by system-config-display
Section "ServerFlags"
        Option "DontZap" "yes"
        Option "DontVTSwitch" "yes"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
        Identifier     "Default Layout"
        Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
        InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
        InputDevice    "Synaptics Mouse" "AlwaysCore"
	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Keyboard0"
	Driver      "kbd"
	Option	    "XkbModel" "pc105"
        Option      "XkbLayout" "us"
        Option      "XkbVariant" "euro"
        Option      "XkbOptions" "grp:alt_shift_toggle"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier "Synaptics Mouse"
        Driver     "synaptics"
        Option     "Device" "/dev/psaux"
        Option     "Protocol" "auto-dev"
	Option	   "LeftEdge"  "1700"
  	Option	"RightEdge"     "5300"
  	Option	"TopEdge"       "1700"
  	Option	"BottomEdge"    "4200"
  	Option	"FingerLow"	"25"
  	Option	"FingerHigh"	"30"
  	Option	"MaxTapTime"	"180"
  	Option	"MaxTapMove"	"220"
  	Option	"VertScrollDelta" "100"
  	Option	"MinSpeed"	"0.09"
  	Option	"MaxSpeed"	"0.18"
  	Option	"AccelFactor"	"0.0015"
  	Option	"SHMConfig"	"on"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier  "Mouse0"
	Driver      "mouse"
	Option	    "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
	Option	    "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
	Option	    "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
	Option	    "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier  "Monitor0"
	Modeline  "1024x600" 48.96 1024 1064 1168 1312 600 601 604 622 -HSync +VSync
#	Option	"Above"	"Monitor1"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier "Monitor1"
	Option	"RightOf" "Monitor0"
	Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Videocard0"
	Driver      "intel"
	Option      "monitor-LVDS" "Monitor0"
	Option	    "monitor-VGA" "Monitor1"
	#Option	    "Clone" "true"
	Option	"MonitorLayout"	"LVDS,VGA"
	BusID	"PCI:0:2:0"
#	Screen	0
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier "Screen0"
	Device     "Videocard0"
	Monitor	    "Monitor0"
	DefaultDepth     24
	SubSection "Display"
		Viewport   0 0
		Depth     24
		Modes    "1920x1200" "1024x600" "800x600" "640x480"
	#	Virtual	1024 768
		Virtual 2944 1200
	EndSubSection
EndSection

One thing to note: I'm not sure if you need to disable clone true or not. I don't think this actually has anything to do with mirroring the desktop on another monitor.

Also note:

If you want the monitor to the left of the desktop, change the Option "RightOf" "Monitor0" to Option "LeftOf" "Monitor0" under Monitor1. If you want it above or below, you can change that to "Above" or "Below" "Monitor 0" but you will also have to change the Virtual line under the SubSection Display to be large enough. (a 1920x1200 display above the laptop would be Virtual 1920 x 1968 and would allow you to run Compiz)

 

It doesn't matter, if you check the xorg log you will see the option is unloaded as startup because like you said xinerama is deprecated in favour of ranr so leave it in, delete it, doens't really matter