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

Not suggesting you should post here mate, it's great to discuss with others..

Just reminding you that Apple won't necessarily be listening here so it's still important to post a bug report if you want to make sure that Apple hear your opinion..

I can no longer send full screen video to my HDTV from iTunes or quicktime without disabling my other displays. 

Maybe this lost functionality is a "feature." Just buy an apple TV and use buggy Airplay instead. This is the only "workaround" that I have found so far.

8 core Mac Pro user and I am considering going back to 10.5.8 because it handles full screen apps in the background better than 10.6 or 10.7.

Way to miss the point Apple!

Loyal power user since 1984

At least, there is a workaround. Go to system preferences > Display > Arrengement. You will see that one display have white bar at the top (the menubar). This is your primary display; the one that will be used for fullscreen applications. When you want to fullscreen a movie on an other display, simply drag that white bar to the other display and you're done.

Or, just use VLC

Under Leopard and Snow Leopard there was a nice program which anticipates the whole fullscreen hype: RightZoom. Just one shortcut and you maximize your window. Works under Lion as well on every displays.

And if you like working without menu bar, you can use Megazoomer. Unfortunatly it does’nt work  with every Lion app... .

I find a way to change the ugly fullscreen texture on the left display. Path: > System > Library > Frameworks > AppKit.framwork > Versions > C > Resources > NSTexturedFullScreenBackgroundColor.png.

(Needs admin rights.)

And if you hate the Mission Control background you have to change following pngs:

backgroundTile.png

ecsb_background_tile.png

defaultdesktop.png

Path: > System > Library > CoreServices > Dock.app > Contents > Resources

This is the single reason why I am still using Snow Leopard on my iMac which has two additional displays connected to its ThunderBolt ports.

I didn't buy monitors to display fake grey linen.  The real linen is cheaper.

Please provide feedback on this design decision via -http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

I'm hoping that if enough pressure is built up, they'll add an option:-

"Allow me to use my external displays = Yes/No"

I use Aperture, and here is what it looks like under Snow Leopard

When running Lion, the left and right screens look like this

yes this dual screen fullapp problem is for me a desaster two !!

for my work i must watch quicktime movies in fullscreen on my second screen i love quicktime but now

i am forced to download VLC player!!

And why i cant use the second screen when a app is in fullscreen ??

i cant believe it !!!

please god fix it !

Who can read posts has a real advantage... .

Get RightZoom and forget Apples Fullscreen hype!

Thats not a solution. All this does is change the behavior of the zoom button. Please try to understand the issue before posting.

ruster, I doubt that a god will fix this, but Apple might if you ask them at - http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

We found a simple hack that may work for you: http://geetduggal.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/reclaiming-your-second-monitor-in-os- x-lion/

geetduggal

Once having tricked it, will it allow existing open apps to display normally?

Do you have to keep tricking it whenever going into fullscreen mode?

And do you think it will work with more than two displays?

Hi John,

> Once having tricked it, will it allow existing open apps to display normally?

If we understand your question, I believe so.  When we perform the trick, no other applications seem to be affected.  However, we do notice that when opening Safari or Chrome, the autocomplete box for the URL opens in another space temporarily but then returns you to your full-screened space after you choose the URL.

> Do you have to keep tricking it whenever going into fullscreen mode?

Anytime you open an application in an existing full-screened space, the trick must be applied.

> And do you think it will work with more than two displays?

When an application successfuly loads in a full-screened display, there doesn't appear to be a restriction on where you can move the application.  We don't have a dual external monitor setup to try this on, however.

Also, this is of course just a hack.  As awesome as Apple stuff is, they need to fix this :-).

Geet

Thank you so much for your reply!!

Another question just to clarify things. 

Let's say I have Aperture open on my main display, but not in full screen mode.  And I have other apps which I want open on the 2nd and 3rd displays.  Then I use your trick like this

Switch Aperture to full screen mode

Do the three finger move, hold it, and then open TextEdit etc

Will all the other apps now become (or stay) visible on the secondary display(s)?

Will the situation stay stable is I switch back and forth beaween Aperture (in fullscreen mode) and the other (non-full screen mode) apps

Sorry if I'm kind of asking the same question again, but the devil is in the details.