[openbox] Openbox Multihead (featuring per-monitor desktops)

[Andrew Gallant]

I have got around to developing that pager I was talking about before.
It uses pygtk and also adds the ability to dynamically manage your
workspaces with a bit more flexibility than core Openbox would
typically allow for.

I've written a good overview of it over at the Archlinux forums. [1]

Thanks!
- Andrew

[1] - https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=124528


On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 6:29 PM, Andrew Gallant <jamslam at gmail.com> wrote:
> After a week of hacking, I've turn Openbox's desktop model from "one
> and only desktop visible at a time" to "one desktop visible for each
> monitor activated." This creates the ability to switch desktops
> *independent* of monitor; and any desktop can appear on any monitor.
> I've called it openbox-multihead. [1]
>
> Unfortunately, this breaks the EWMH spec and results in any pager
> becoming *almost* useless. (They will still work, but will probably
> confuse you.) To temporarily remedy this, I've include a small Python
> script 'ob-visible-desks' in the tools directory that will output a
> simple text based representation of the available desktops (grouped
> into four different visual categories using position/color: current,
> visible, hidden with windows and hidden without windows). It should be
> used with something like xmobar or dzen2.
>
> I've added several configuration options and a desktop list menu.
> These are described in more detail in README.MULTIHEAD. [2]
>
> I've never done anything like this with an existing open source
> project, but right now, I'm thinking my plans are this:
>
> - Keep my multihead branch of Openbox up to date with Dana's master branch.
>
> - Continue to develop features that improve on multihead functionality.
>
> - Develop a pager that works with this new desktop model.
>
> - Get omnipresent clients working better. (Docks and the like work
> fine, though. It's only the normal clients that are giving me some
> focus issues.)
>
> I'm open to suggestions!
>
> Also, if anyone is on Archlinux [3], I've put this in the AUR. [4]
>
> - Andrew
>
> [1] - https://github.com/BurntSushi/openbox-multihead
> [2] - https://github.com/BurntSushi/openbox-multihead/blob/multihead/README.MULTIHEAD
> [3] - https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=124331
> [4] - http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=51460
>