gnome-display-properties doesn't let me use external monitor's full resolution in mirror mode

[to be removed]

Binary package hint: gnome-control-center

My laptop has a 10.6 inch screen (1280*768). At home, I have a 22 inch external screen (1680*1050) attached to it. gnome-display-properties does not let me set things up so that the screens are mirrored, and the resolution is set to the maximum of the external screen. Instead, it wants to set things up as 1024*768.

This worked in intrepid, until some weeks ago, when the same behavior started happening there, but I never reported the problem.

If I run "xrandr --output VGA --mode 1680x1050" manually, I get the screens set up the way I want.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
Package: gnome-control-center 1:2.26.0-0ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=fi_FI.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-control-center
Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

thank you for your bug report, it's not clear though, doesn't mirror mean the same configuration? how do you want to set a resolution higher than the screen laptop one?

[to be removed (liw)]

Mirroring means, or used to mean and should mean, that the two screens show the same thing. Before, the laptop screen would show only as much as would fit into the top left corner of the full resolution. This is good for me because when I unplug the external monitor, the screen has useful stuff on it.

It is also good because I have no use for the small laptop screen while at my desk in the office: the screen is small enough that I'd have to have the laptop in my lap and that interferes with being comfortable. Having the screens not be mirrored also means that the computer (metacity? something) occasionally wants to put things on the _other_ screen, which is small and far away, and forces me to deal with that. It's much easier for me to just have mirrored screens.

Also, since xrandr(1) can do it, and it is clearly supported by both hardware and software, gnome-display-properties should be able to do it as well.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

could you run the "xrandr --query" and copy the log to the bug?

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

it would be interesting to run gnome-settings-daemon --no-deamon --debug too, try switching modes using fn-f7 and copy the log there

[to be removed (liw)]

The above gnome-settings-daemon log is probably useless. I can't switch modes (resolutions?) using fn-f7: this is a desktop machine, so no fn key.