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Customizing XSummary:
Color DepthSettingsIn Mandrake 7.0 and later, you can change resolution and color depth settings comfortably via '~DrakConf' (aka Mandrake Control Center). For earlier versions you may either run the 'Xconfigurator' or insert the values by hand in '/etc/X11/XF86Config(-4)' ('Screen Sections', Section 'Screen', 'Subsection Display'), like this Subsection "Display"<br> Depth 32<br> Modes "1280x1024"<br> ~ViewPort 0 0<br> ~EndSubsection This will start the X server with a resolution of 1280x1024 at a color depth of 32 bits per pixel (aka as 'True Color'). If you want to start X with a different color depth just for one session, type startx –– -bpp n with 'n' choosing the color depth (8, 16, 24 or 32). This only works if you boot to the console first. Pro's and Con's of color depths
ResolutionCommon resolution settings are:
Higher resolutions allow a smoother display of dithered colors but put a higher load on the graphics card and the monitor. Working comfortably in X requires at least an 17'' monitor (well, in my opinion ;-)), especially if you run desktop environments which come with task bars (like KDE or GNOME ). If you feel your screen is too small, you can make it appear larger in two ways : virtual desktops and virtual screen size. Most of the available window managers for X allow you to have several (virtual) X desktops. Remember though that every virtual desktop uses system resources, so turn them off via the manager's configuration utility if you don't need them. Subsection "Display" Depth 32 Modes "800x600" "640x480" Virtual "1024x768" ~ViewPort 0 0 ~EndSubsection If you want to get rid of it, comment or remove these settings. If your 'XF86Config(-4)' file supplies different resolution settings ('Modes'), X will always start with the first value. Within X you can switch resolutions by pressing or . Refresh RateThe refresh rate determines how often the screen will be redrawn. Low refresh rates lead to the dreaded monitor flicker and are bad for your eyes and no fun to work with. The minimum is 75Hz for screens up to 17'', and 85Hz for bigger screens. So you'll need around 50 kHz horizontal sync frequency for 15'' monitors, 69kHz for 17'', and 95kHz for 19''. Of course, these are hardware values. If your monitor doesn't support them, you'll just have to cope with flicker. If you configure your screen settings via '~DrakConf / Mandrake Control Center' or - in older releases - with 'Xconfigurator' and your monitor is not listed in the database, you might have to choose generic settings which are safe but not as good as they could be. ~HorizSync ~VertRefresh You can even tweak the modelines themselves, if you're brave enough. Read the XFree86 Video Timings ~HowTo for further information or get one of the several available modeline utilities . Power SavingThis is done via DPMS (Digital Power Management Signaling) and in most cases it is already enabled by an option in '/etc/X11/XF86Config-4'. To check if DPMS is enabled on your machine, run this command: xdpyinfo | grep DPMS If this command returns no output, you'll have to enable DPMS yourself.
xset dpms sec_till_standby sec_till_suspend sec_till_off Put this line into your '~/.xinitrc' (when starting X from the console) or into your './.xsession', if you are booting directly to a graphical login screen. Notice that KDE and GNOME will ignore settings set this way, that's way they provide their own utility to do this. Running Scripts AutomaticallyMost window managers and desktop environment are capable of session management. This however works only for graphical applications, not for scripts. If you start your window manager from the command line, just add the commands to the file '.xinitrc'. Read the article on Starting X for details. KDE and GNOME offer mechanisms to run scripts automatically at the beginning of every session. ~> #1.1 /bin/sh Now put your commands in there (like xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap chmod +x file In KDE, copy this script to the '~/.kde/Autostart' folder. In GNOME , open the Command Center, then the 'Session' menu and tell it where the script is you want to be executed at login. In Window Maker, enter the path to the script into the file '~/GNUstep/Library/~WindowMaker/autostart'. If you start other window managers via a graphical login manager like KDM or GDM, create a file '~/.Xclients', put all the commands you want to be executed automatically in there. If the command starts a graphical application, put a '&' at the end of the command line, separated by a space. The last line has to execute the window manager. Example: xmodmap ~/.Xmodmap<br> xterm &<br> exec icewm Make the file executable with chmod +x .Xclients. Log out. On the graphical login screen, choose 'default' as the session type and log in. This will execute the '.Xclients' file and start your manager. Width Height PositionChanging of the width, height and position of the desktop on the screen because of:
su - enter your password XFree86 -version Using this version information you have to choose your XF86Config-file. In the case of Mandrake 9 and 10 this is the following, if you have installed XFree version 4: Or if you prefer a gui, you can use the konqueror to open the file /etc/X11/XF86Config-4. Search the Section "Monitor" and change to the parameters to those of you monitor from the handbook of your manufacturer. Do not change the Identifier, if you do not know what you are doing. see Refresh Rate Section "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" ~VendorName "Generic" ~ModelName "1024x768 @ 70 Hz" ~HorizSync 30-82 ~VertRefresh 50-120 # Sony Vaio C1(X,XS,VE,VN)? # 1024x480 @ 85.6 Hz, 48 kHz hsync ~ModeLine "1024x480" 65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344 480 488 494 563 -hsync -vsync In the other window type xvidtune. The monitor configuration application will be started. Click on the buttons Left, Right, Wider and Narrower with a following Apply. If your desktops fits into the screen as you like it, you press on the Show button. Notice that this will print out the correct parameter settings for your monitor. Press the Quit button of xvidtune. In the editor window you add now a line ~ModeLine with your graphical resolution (HDisplay and VDisplay in xvidtune) and the last output of this program. Do not copy the text from here but use the settings of your environment1.1 For example: Section "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" ~VendorName "Generic" ~ModelName "1024x768 @ 70 Hz" ~HorizSync 30-82 ~VertRefresh 50-120 ~ModeLine "1024x768" 75.00 1024 1056 1192 1328 768 771 777 806 -hsync -vsync This settings are necessary, because the changes by xvidtune would be lost at the next restart. If the graphical environment will not start the next boot-up, you know that something has went wrong. Copy back your original configuration and try again. cp /etc/X11/XF86Config.bak /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 Related Resources:X Free86 Video Timings HOWTO Revision / Modified: June 18, 2002 Legal: This page is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License . Standard disclaimers of warranty apply. Copyright LSTB and Mandrakesoft. |