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Dual monitors and fullscreen fiasco, is there a work around?

If you have a dual monitor set-up and Lion and you have tried the fullscreen setting, then you know what is wrong.


Might as well not even have the second monitor...Lion completely takes over both monitors and only allows you to have one app up. Pointless, and no way to stop it. (A preference setting in System Preferences under Displays would have been the right thing to do).


I know I don't have to use fullscreen, but it was nice to be able to view a Quicktime movie fullscreen on one monitor while continuing to work on the other. Lion makes that impossible.


Anyone know of a work-around or fix for the fullscreen/dual monitor fiasco?


Thanks for all help.

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 2:07 PM

Reply
816 replies

Aug 14, 2012 10:09 PM in response to donebylee

This might not be closely related to this problem. I just want to point out another stupidity on Mac OS that never got fixed even I've waited for 5 years.


1. You Can't Cut file on finder because the stupid reason is "they" affraid if user dont paste the file, it will be deleted in limbo. Oh yeah, yes you can.. command + option + V (paste and move the file). How in the world regular user would know that?


2. On Finder List view mode, try to toggle the icon size from small to large and expand a folder and toggle it back from large to small. All looks screw up.


3. Dual monitor menu bar. Working on Photoshop on your extended monitor is so painful.

You need to download Second bar which is very buggy.


4. Display Setting on dual monitor / projector is so shameful. Everytime during presentation and I need to change my display setting, I have to click gather windows but the audience already notice what I'm going to do. Why not just combine this display setting or wallpaper setting on one window with monitor tabs or something more functional in Windows.


What's wrong with you mac developer? Why can you make a better software. Can you just admid your mistake and move for the sake of your users.


I totally regret buying this mac. I can be more 150% more productive by working on Microsoft Windows. Microsoft doesn't sound too bad anymore afterall.

Aug 21, 2012 10:19 AM in response to yudieg

yudieg wrote:


This might not be closely related to this problem. I just want to point out another stupidity on Mac OS that never got fixed even I've waited for 5 years.


1. You Can't Cut file on finder because the stupid reason is "they" affraid if user dont paste the file, it will be deleted in limbo. Oh yeah, yes you can.. command + option + V (paste and move the file). How in the world regular user would know that?

By looking it up, here

Aug 28, 2012 1:03 PM in response to jpcampbell

Distill discussion to this comment...

jpcampbell wrote:


Agree this is a pretty big oversight in functionality. I should be able to go full-screen in my code on one screen and have a browser to test the code in the other. Right now, my poor external monitor just becomes useless in full-screen mode.


... and help me with this;


I ran into a fellow who said he was an Apple tech working for Staples. I mentioned this problem with multiple monitors and full-screen app mode (whoops, that's single-app mode to those who have experienced this shortcoming).


This fellow said if you use an Apple Thunderbolt Display this does not happen and you CAN go full-screen app mode on one screen (say the Macbook Pro) and the Thunderbolt display fully available and not rendered useless with a grey linen background.


I am very interested in to know if this is true or not. I do not have an Apple Thunderbolt Display available to verify or to dispell this as an ugly rumour.


Can anyone out there test this and report back to us? Thanks.

Aug 28, 2012 3:34 PM in response to KB from Ontario

KB from Ontario wrote:


This fellow said if you use an Apple Thunderbolt Display this does not happen and you CAN go full-screen app mode on one screen (say the Macbook Pro) and the Thunderbolt display fully available and not rendered useless with a grey linen background.


I am very interested in to know if this is true or not. I do not have an Apple Thunderbolt Display available to verify or to dispell this as an ugly rumour.

If it IS true, it would be an obvious move to thwart competition with other display makers and give Apple an unfair advantage, in the same way that Lion and Snow Leopard (and Mountain Lion?) disable SSD TRIM support for non-Apple SSDs (which can be worked around by editing a kernel extension or running a 3rd-party app to do it for you). It would give me an upgrade path, although I'd be miffed that my perfectly good 23" Acer would be destined for the dumper.


So, yeah, verification of this new bit of information would be very much welcomed. I have a bit of a hard time imagining it to be true, but if it is, it does change things for my future with Apple.

Aug 28, 2012 4:01 PM in response to da bishop

"This fellow said if you use an Apple Thunderbolt Display this does not happen and you CAN go full-screen app mode on one screen (say the Macbook Pro) and the Thunderbolt display fully available and not rendered useless with a grey linen background."


This is completely inaccurate. I have several thunderbolt displays at my work and they act just like normal displays -- they will become greyed out if you are running 10.7 or 10.8 and run a full screen app on another display.


Thunderbolt displays have tons of problems too -- the flickering issue is horrible, Apple still has not fixed that -- we've had to get 5 of them RMA'd and three of the newer ones that came in still have the flickering problem. I know it's unrelated and a rant, but seriously...it p's me off 🙂

Aug 28, 2012 4:07 PM in response to NiqueXyZ

NiqueXyZ wrote:


This is completely inaccurate. I have several thunderbolt displays at my work and they act just like normal displays -- they will become greyed out if you are running 10.7 or 10.8 and run a full screen app on another display.


Thunderbolt displays have tons of problems too -- the flickering issue is horrible, Apple still has not fixed that -- we've had to get 5 of them RMA'd and three of the newer ones that came in still have the flickering problem. I know it's unrelated and a rant, but seriously...it p's me off 🙂

Thanks for the clarification. Disappointing, but not at all unexpected. The quality issue, however, IS unexpected. Sorry to see that you continue to have trouble with them.

Aug 28, 2012 4:11 PM in response to NiqueXyZ

NiqueXyZ wrote:

...


This is completely inaccurate. I have several thunderbolt displays at my work and they act just like normal displays -- they will become greyed out if you are running 10.7 or 10.8 and run a full screen app on another display.

...

OK. Just so I'm clear, you've tested this configuration and you're verifying that even WITH an Apple Thunderbolt Display attached to a Macbook Pro there is NO difference in behavour of "full-screen app" mode - all but one monitor becomes greyed out and and essentially useless.


Thanks for letting us know and clearing up what amounts to an ugly rumour from a supposed Apple tech.

Aug 28, 2012 4:18 PM in response to KB from Ontario

KB from Ontario wrote:


NiqueXyZ wrote:

...


This is completely inaccurate. I have several thunderbolt displays at my work and they act just like normal displays -- they will become greyed out if you are running 10.7 or 10.8 and run a full screen app on another display.

...

OK. Just so I'm clear, you've tested this configuration and you're verifying that even WITH an Apple Thunderbolt Display attached to a Macbook Pro there is NO difference in behavour of "full-screen app" mode - all but one monitor becomes greyed out and and essentially useless.


Thanks for letting us know and clearing up what amounts to an ugly rumour from a supposed Apple tech.

Apple techs work for Apple, not Staples.

Aug 28, 2012 8:04 PM in response to donebylee

I agree, it's a little silly to disable (black out) secondary monitors when one is in fullscreen mode. It makes the fullscreen functionality entirely useless for me. Luckily VLC allows fullscreen to be fullscreen on one monitor while not hijacking the others. I figure, if you want the other monitors or TVs black/blank, you'll turn them off, you don't need it forced on you. Some of the new features of Lion are awesome, others are a little lame.

Dual monitors and fullscreen fiasco, is there a work around?

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