this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2024
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So I have a two monitor setup, and I really dislike how gnome only lets you have the bar on the primary screen unless you install a plugin that is very outdated and I cannot get working on the latest version of gnome or use dash to dock, and I am not a fan of the dock style...

Then with KDE is kinda nice, but then I have to keep the panel at the bottom of both monitors in sync manually for pinned items... I am just curious if this bothers others and if there is a DE that doesn't really have this issue or any workarounds people know of.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Cinnamon works very well for this. I can put bars all over the place on any monitor.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Does Mint let you do that? I was mildly annoyed about having the "bar" only on one screen, I did some looking around but didn't find anything useful.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Right click bar > 'Add a new panel'

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Hey it actually works! But it only gives me an empty one 😅

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yep, then right click it and click applets and add what you need them move the applets to where you want.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Is there some way to mirror the original bar? I'd like access to open folders & softs on both.

Thanks again!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

If you mean copy/pasting the bar to the new screen/placement, I'm not sure. I've never gotten it to do anything other than create a new empty bar. When you look through the applets though it shows which ones you are already using and what they do so you can just click the + when you're editing you new bar to add the thing you know you'll want there.

Also, try out Cinnamenu, it's better than stock start menu imo.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

So I have a two monitor setup, and I really dislike how gnome only lets you have the bar on the primary screen unless you install a plugin that is very outdated and I cannot get working on the latest version of gnome or use dash to dock, and I am not a fan of the dock style…

I believe both Dash to Panel and V-Shell are capable of resolving this issue in a way that should suit your needs IF you wish to continue using GNOME.

[–] Zeoic 5 points 3 weeks ago

I dont have a DE reccomendation, but for gnome you can use the dash to panel extension for a KDE / Windows like taskbar that will sync pinned items across monitors. The multi monitor sync works pretty well on it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

Yes missing mirroring in the KDE Plasma panels is annoying.

Bugzilla report

But I would just stick with KDE, it may get fixed soon.

To my knowledge, COSMIC desktop mirrors the panels to both screens.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I believe that XFCE comes with native multiple-monitor support. It sounds like having customizability for both monitors in terms of dock/panel is important, and I'm not completely certain, but XFCE's panels should be completely rearrangeable and separate. They also have decent power in terms of widgets and customizability.

However, KDE and Gnome have more ecosystem features, so if that's important, you might consider that when switching.

Another thing to note is that if you are willing to invest some time, window managers could be the way to go. Most don't have DE features out-of-the-box like KDE, Gnome, or XFCE, so there is a certain ease-of-use gap. But, if you are willing to take the time to get the features you need and learn the environment, window managers work well with multiple monitors. I use AwesomeWM and configure my monitors with ARandR. You can customize your monitors to your heart's content.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

I use xfce for as many monitors as I can plug in. It works, though more customization sounds lovely.

Looking forward to trying out AwesomeWM. Thanks for the idea!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The upcoming Cosmic desktop by Pop!_OS has the exact feature you're describing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

That will be awesome

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Dash to panel seems to work fine. The only problem i had with gnome on two screens was when they had different scaling.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I have my status bar on both monitors by default on Hyprland.

[–] Dran_Arcana 1 points 3 weeks ago

I'm a big fan of tiling window managers like i3 or awesome (awesome wm). Awesome is the one I use. It's tiling and the entire interface is built from scripts that they encourage you to modify. Steep learning curve but once you get it how you like, there's nothing like it.