There is an issue with Ubuntu that started in version 7.10 and persists all the way to 10.04. In previous versions before 7.10 users were able to change the make and model of their monitors from the Hardware tab in the screen resolution window in the System => Preferences.window. This was removed in 7.10 and all later versions of Ubuntu. The removal of this feature has had undesirable consequences which need to be addressed immediately.
It was decided to let X.org auto-detect video hardware starting with Ubuntu 7.10. Unfortunately, the auto-detection procedure does not always work correctly. Some monitors are not Plug & Play, which is needed for this to work properly. The resulting problem that occurs is one which I have had and struggled with for some time, which eventually forced me to make a switch to different Linux distribution just to correct the issue. Getting Ubuntu to detect the correct video card and getting the video card to work is not the problem. Detection of the monitor hardware and no longer being able to manually change those settings is what is the problem. After Ubuntu is installed, X.org detects the monitor as just "default monitor". The maximum available screen resolution is 800x600. Being visually impaired I'm dependent on the Enhanced Desktop Zoom feature of Compiz Fusion, which requires that I install the drivers for my Nvidia graphics card. After these drivers are installed my maximum screen resolution is 640x480. Ubuntu is unusable at that resolution because many windows do not scale nor do they let you scroll down to portions which are hidden off screen. This is a problem that is impacting many users. Prior to Ubuntu 10.04 I have been copying & pasting the monitor settings from the xorg.conf generated by 7.04 into the xorg.conf files of each new release. This has been a workaround, but it invariably breaks something in the process. The Nvidia X Server Configuration Tool for instance cannot save settings to xorg.conf anymore, is a prime example. Another is the login screen is set to 6040x480 but the screen area pans at 1024x786. When I login the desktop changes resolutions to 1024x768 which is large enough to give me a lot of work space but not too small for me to read. This is particularly helpful with web pages, which are usually made for screens at 1024x768. Plus, if something is far too small I have the Enchance Desktop Zoom of Compiz Fusion to help. Using this copy & paste workaround does not work in Ubuntu 10.04, however. X.org will not start. In fact the system hangs. Apparently fundamental changes in the format in which information is stored and/or read in the xorg.conf file appears to have changed, and now the old settings text from my xorg.conf file from version 7.04 no longer works. This has prompted me to switch to Mandria for the time being, which allows me to have a Compiz Fusion glx enabled desktop at 1024x768. While Mandriva is indeed a user friendly Linux distribution its not nearly as polished as Ubuntu, and also not as many applications are available as RPMs are compared to Debian. The main problem is the lack of a feature to manually change the monitor settings in Ubuntu. If something similar to the Hardware tab were available in a separate window in the System => Administration menu then this wouldn't be an issue. However, there is no easy or clear-cut way to correct this problem at this current time unless something changes. In the spirit of improving Ubuntu's accessibility I believe a Preferences window should be made that allows users to manually change the monitor type just like we were able to do in Ubuntu 7.04 in the Hardware tab of the Screen Resolution window. This feature should not have been removed originally. Speaking as a Visually Impaired Linux User this has seriously impaired my ability to use Ubuntu. It is my hope that this message prompts the development community to take action and correct this problem as soon as possible. -- Michael "TheZorch" Haney "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." ~ Arthur C. Clarke "The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion and politics, but it is not the path to knowledge, and there is no place for it in the endeavor of science. " ~ Carl Sagan Visit My Site: http://sites.google.com/site/thezorch/home-1 To Contact Me: http://sites.google.com/site/thezorch/home-1/zorch-central---contacts Free Your PC from the Bondage of Windows http://www.ubuntu.com -- Ubuntu-qa mailing list Ubuntu-qa@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-qa
