1display: Qubes | 2display: Windows/Linux

General Discussion
1

My suggestion for improvements to Qubes is to introduce a “1monitor: Qubes + 2monitor: Windows/Linux” mode.

Users are heavily accustomed to Windows or Ubuntu, so why should Qubes hinder those who love Windows above all else?

In this proposed mode, the user would use two monitors. The first monitor would display only Qubes along with the management console, while the second monitor would display Windows in full-screen mode.

The keyboard would be fully responsive only on the second monitor, and pressing the ctr+alt+del sequence would work only on the second monitor. The mouse would also only work on the second monitor, not allowing you to go beyond the second screen.

Moving the mouse to the first screen would require opening the “wall” of the second screen - the user could move to the first screen by pressing a key combination (e.g. esc + F1) and then moving the cursor to the edge of the screen.

The first monitor would display only Qubes manager, along with the top taskbar, of course. Pressing on any of the virtual desktops would switch the window on the second monitor.
Of course, going to monitor1 and then switching desktops with the mouse would not be very convenient. However, the function of switching desktops could be used with a keyboard shortcut.

The above suggestion, in my opinion, is ideal for people who do not like switching. Yes, it can be argued that “Windows is evil,” etc., however, isn’t our premise to eliminate the claim “why use 80% of the benefits of Qubes when I have 20% unavailable”?

Sys-net, sys-usb and many other benefits flow directly to the Windows machine.

What do you guys think about this?

1 Like
2

This is an interesting suggestion, however most likely would take a lot of effort, which is a problem for the tiny Qubes team. I think you can already make the Windows qube full-screen, which seems to be the most important part of you suggestion…

3

To add some detail to what you’re saying:

In essence what you do is turn off the setting (on the second tab page of settings) for having each window in Windows open in a separate Qubes window–Known as “seamless” mode.

[There is a minor issue with that interface in that both buttons (the one to enter the mode you’re in, and the one to enter the mode you’re NOT in) are always sensitized; ideally the control should be some sort of toggle (e.g., a checkbox). Failing that, desensitizing the currently-irrelevant button would work.]

When you disable seamless mode, you get a Windows desktop in a window, and I believe that can be fullscreened (though I’ve never done it). All windows in Windows will open within that desktop window, without Qubes frames around them.

[For context, I run on a two monitor system myself, and I tend to put desktop shortcuts to open qubes and apps on the left-hand monitor and “do things” on the right hand side.]

What this doesn’t do is stop the mouse from leaving that screen, which is a large part of what Pawelek85 is asking for.

4

Nah… it doesn’t work like that in this our civilization. Habits aren’t nourished, but created in discrete and then presented as nourished. So nothing would helped with Windows-ers, but raising awareness.

5

Does the seamless feature work on Windows 10?
I am interested in this feature, however, I have only seen it on Windows 7…

6

I personally use Windows 7…but now that you ask I recall reading it wasn’t working yet for windows 10.

But, if I understand what you want, this doesn’t matter to you, because you actually don’t want the seamless feature, you want a windows desktop to fill one of your two monitors.

Here’s what I just did. I went into the settings for windows, and on the advanced tab, in the upper right, I selected to enable full screen. Then I started the windows VM. I would be very careful to have the mouse pointer sitting in the monitor you want it to show up on while it comes up. If you don’t have seamless mode, you should get a full screen Windows on that monitor, only. It won’t prevent your mouse from moving off the monitor (which was another thing you wanted) but at least you have a clean windows desktop.

[Now, because I do have seamless mode, I have to start windows (I bring up the file explorer), put the window on my right hand monitor, open up settings, put the settings window in the right hand monitor, then turn off seamless mode on the Advanced tab. The instant I hit that button, I get fullscreen windows on my right hand monitor. (If I put it on the left hand side, it covers my Qubes menu bar and I have to shut windows down to get to it.) I think that’s pretty close to what you want.

7

This has nothing to do with “Windows evilness” but with laziness. Or “switching” means from Windows to Qubes. In which case… well those will never switch when they realize they can’t get 4k video and gaming and you know stuff and things…

And will never realize they can attach (from the) controller to windows and use the mouse exclusively there. Oh, no, but they have one laptop per USB controller, right… Ah, this Qubes sucks anyway…