[mythtv-users] Multiple Displays on the same Machine

[Thomas M Hughes]

Greetings.

I am currently trying to figure out the best way to handle some X11 
configurations, and thought that this may be the best place to ask. 
First, some background.  I am currently using the same machine to do 
Myth (both front and back ends) and to act as a desktop.  At the moment, 
my configuration is to use an nVidia GeForce 4 440MX, with one display 
going to the monitor on the desk, and the second display going to the 
television, treated as to the right of the monitor.  The television acts 
as my front end.  I use the same inputs (keyboard and mouse) for both 
the desktop and the Myth frontend.  All of that works fine, but it's not 
how I'd ideally set it up.

Instead of having the two displays be treated as continuous (where if 
you move the mouse to the right, it moves onto the frontend screen), I 
want them to be separate displays.  Inputs for the desktop stay on the 
desktop, while inputs for the frontend (ideally, a remote control with 
lirc) remain on the front end.  I'm pretty sure this part shouldn't be a 
problem, as the X11 config will just involve setting up two different 
screens, one for the desktop and one for the television, and not placing 
one to the right of the other.

Here is where I'm slightly stumped.  I would like the desktop machine to 
require a login and password, while I would like the frontend to 
automatically log in and startup mythfrontend.  I can figure out how to 
do one or the other, but apparently not both with gdm.  Either both will 
require a login and password, or neither will, and both will log in to 
the mythfrontend.  Any idea how to solve this problem?

As additional background, I'm using Debian (unstable) GNU/Linux, and the 
latest current stable release of Mythtv (0.15.1), and I would prefer to 
avoid having to use CVS at all costs.

Thanks for your thoughts.

-- 
Thomas
thomas at amberilis.org