Multiple monitor support

Viro · #1 March 22nd, 2005, 08:47 AM

I wish Apple would make the menubar of apps appear on the the same monitor where the application window is displayed. As it is, if I have an application window on the secondary monitor, the menubar still appears on the first monitor. Highly annoying. Practically defeats the purpose of a second monitor.

Robn Kester · #2 March 23rd, 2005, 12:55 PM

I think the only solution to this would be to mirror the menu bar itself onto both displays. Might be possible for the display drivers to do this, who knows.

However I don't see the problem since most who use 2 displays are using 1 as their primary and the other is secondary so it doesnt need a menubar.

Viro · #3 March 24th, 2005, 02:00 PM

I don't get that. How does using the other monitor as secondary remove the need for a menubar? That's precisely what I'm doing right now and I need the menubar on the secondary monitor.

Robn Kester · #4 March 24th, 2005, 02:12 PM

I posed this questoin on another forum and it was suggested that this could possibly be a task for a haxie or similar.

Viro - when I said secondary I was refereing to those who use it literally as a place to put pallettes and lesser used items, but where they still use the main display for the primary windows they are working in... where the menubar is at top.

adambyte · #5 March 24th, 2005, 02:27 PM

True. If you use it that way, you don't really need a second menubar. However, if you use it the way Viro describes, then you need it because it's more like you've got two different computers.

The only possible work-around I can think of is learning keyboard shortcuts.

Viro · #6 March 24th, 2005, 03:16 PM

I see how it would benefit people using applications that had loads of floating palettes. However, not everyone works with Photoshop

.

Still, hopefully Apple will come up with the option to enable this feature.

**fryke** · #7 March 27th, 2005, 08:24 AM

I think we can agree that the current way Apple does it fits the first type of users, i.e. they have a clear _main_ and a clear _secondary_ monitor. I usually have the palettes and stuff on the secondary, but I also have Mail.app's window "over there", so I see when Mail arrives (and into which box it automatically gets filtered). I also put other stuff I want in my view there, like the iChat contact list.

If you are of the second type, like Viro, you want to use one application on one and another on the other monitor. Right now, you have the choice of learning keyboard-combos (I STRONGLY suggest to use keyboard-combos as much as humanly possible, anyway!) or to wisely choose which apps are on the first, which on the second monitor, depending on their use of the menubar.

I have to admit I'd despise the idea of having the menubar a second time on the second monitor.

sinclair_tm · #8 March 30th, 2005, 11:29 PM

i've used dual monitors for years and have never needed, or even thought of, having a menu bar on my second screen. you can only have one app active at a time anyway, so haveing two different apps on two different screens seems pointless, but then i don't know what it is you are doing. my second monitor has been used for pallets for graphic apps, ichat and messenger, diag boxes ( ie, copy, empty trash, stuffit, diskcopy, safari downloads, and itunes.) and never have needed a second menu bar.
as fryke said, it would bug the heck out of me if it was there.