Remember the good old days when to change a screen resolution or driver, you had to edit xorg.conf or reconfigure X.org? Those fine times are now over, or they will be, with the release of Ubuntu 7.10.
As of an update from a few days ago, users are now able to access a graphical user interface for editing xorg.conf, though only for graphic and display settings. This tool has support for dual monitors at the moment, and with the release of X.org 7.3 it will be possible to add even more. You can turn on and off both (or one) of your monitor(s), change the available resolutions, orientations, and set mirror or exteneded desktops.

On the Graphics Card tab, you have a selection of drivers and video memory. You can pick your graphics card and have it select a driver for you, or you can choose the driver yourself (useful for binary ATI/NVIDIA drivers).

The Test feature as of writing is a little buggy, but this is an alpha version still; updates will follow.
This feature is actually Ubuntu-specific at the moment, though other distributions are sure to adopt it soon. It is part of Ubuntu 7.10’s “Bullet Proof X” blueprint that states, in a general sense, that if X for some reason fails to start, then it will fall back to a failsafe mode with this GUI running to help get you back on your feet.
There is much improvement to be made with X as 7.3 releases, but whether this will make it into Ubuntu 7.10 in time is another story. Feature freeze is now in effect, however it was broken for an X update once before. Whether we’ll see it all depends on when it is released. Count on FOSSwire for our take on X.org 7.3 later this month or next.


Johannes Eva wrote:
Did some Xorg.conf guis not exist in the past? Remember they were never really convincing…
# Posted on 17-Aug-07 at 8:00 pm
Ubuntu 7.10 llevara una interfaz grafica para el Xorg.conf « Data Shared wrote:
[...] Vía: FOSSwire. [...]
# Posted on 17-Aug-07 at 10:05 pm
[linux] Ubuntu bekommt eine Xorg GUI » Blog Archive » [linux] Ubuntu bekommt eine Xorg GUI wrote:
[...] hier bist, dann kannst du auch meinen RSS Feed abonnieren: RSS feed. Danke fuer deinen Besuch!Laut fosswire soll die nächste Ubuntu Version 7.10 endlich ein grafisches Frontend für den Xserver Xorg [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 1:18 am
Andrew Min wrote:
You know, Kubuntu’s had this for a while in KControl or System Settings.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 5:40 am
Matt wrote:
The “good ol’ days” of xorg.conf? I remember seeing xorg.conf for the first time thinking “where the hell is xfree86.conf?”
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 5:50 am
acidphex wrote:
Nice. Will there be manual input options?
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:00 am
Adam wrote:
So what’s wrong with them porting SAX2, which if the screenshots are anything to go by, is far superiour? Sounds like NIH syndrome to me.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:01 am
ipx wrote:
This is really great! I love the good work, keep it up!
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:44 am
คนทำเว็ป » มีกะเขาเสียที wrote:
[...] ไปอ่านข่าวเพิ่มเติมได้ ที่นี่ [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:45 am
James wrote:
The theme used is awesome, don’t suppose you could give me the name of it (+ any special things)
Cheers
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:54 am
Jacob wrote:
James:
It is the Glossy theme using Tango icons, available in the GNOME 2.19 development series.
There is a Glossy theme in GNOME 2.18, but it is a slightly older version.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:11 am
ArsGeek » Blog Archive » Ubuntu getting Xorg.conf GUI wrote:
[...] are now able to access a graphical user interface for editing xorg.conf and it’s about time!read more | digg story Click the icon, share the link: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:38 am
Ubuntu to get xorg.conf GUI! « IT Techno Babble v.2 wrote:
[...] Check out the article here! [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:40 am
pablo dias wrote:
“defualt” is the best option!
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:47 am
Jacob wrote:
Pablo:
I know, I know. It was a typo on my part.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:55 am
damien wrote:
Wow.. just took them, like what, ten years?
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 8:33 am
Wade Mealing wrote:
Forgive me if I’m looking at this the wrong way.
But, we’ve had these kinds of tools in fedora (system-config-display) that does what you need already. The best solution imho, is not to need to use one of these tools, let the system choose the defaults as 99% of users will not need to modify them.
I guess there might need to be some manual configuration to be done for objects like projectors, but this tool doesn’t seem to do that, lets see how it dances.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 8:58 am
BitRomantic » Blog Archive » Ubuntu: Xorf.conf gets a GUI wrote:
[...] Looks like Xorf.conf has a GUI in the next version of Ubuntu Linux. Nice. The most common piece of tweaking I’ve needed to do when installing Ubuntu on a new machine is to the Xorg settings, to get the right screen resolution and refresh rate. It’s lovely to have this in a GUI, where those new to Linux can get at it without a session of “uh-oh, I need to learn how to use the command line!” getting in the way. Makes it about as easy to configure this aspect of Ubuntu as it is to track down display drivers for a fresh Windows install. [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 9:19 am
Ubuntu 7.10 permitirá configurar Xorg.conf desde interfaz gráfica | PuntoGeek wrote:
[...] buena noticia para los usuarios de Ubuntu, la próxima versión 7.10 o Gutsy Gibbon, incorporará interfaz gráfica para configurar el archivo [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:08 am
Ubuntu ya tiene una versión preliminar de su editor gráfico de Xorg.conf wrote:
[...] Vía | Fooswire [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:30 am
Xiata wrote:
@Wade Mealing
I must disagree with you here.
I have never had Fedora Core (or any distribution for that matter) choose the right resolution for any laptop I have used thus far. It will choose the closest 4:3 ratio, but never what my laptops use (16:9, 16:10).
Furthermore, I’ve noticed that despite what intelligent detection tools they have, if fglrx or the nvidia driver is necessary, they are (usually) not enabled by default, or are lacking a few options that generally make it work better. Probably due to the “omg closed source, bad bad bad” logic, but really, most people will not care if the driver is open or closed source as long as it just works (vesa, ati, and nv drivers are painful to use, just as painful as Windows’ VGASAVE driver).
Anyhow, I have a big issue with the current development of ubuntu when it comes to administration tools. Gnome’s usability policy is slowly crushing the usefulness. Either too many controls are not available to configure things, or they are spanned across too many seperate tools.
If they do create this tool, they better unify all display controls (hardware related) into a single control and for god sakes find a better way than using an orientation menu. I am not fully aware of exactly what X allows for multiscreen placement (as in, if it allows desktop placement offsets) but left or right for a second display is a terrible idea, as well as: What if I have more than 2 screens? Go back to xorg.conf? This dialog better be either a prototype or just a mockup and not what they will consider the final product.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:52 am
Tecnologia » Blog Archiv » Ubuntu ya tiene una versión preliminar de su editor gráfico de Xorg.conf wrote:
[...] Vía | Fooswire [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:53 am
brokendave wrote:
Ubuntu = Microsoft’s largest threat! Fast, Functional, and Feature rich! This Linux distro is the doorway to an open source boom!
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 1:37 pm
Xorg.conf con interfaz gráfica en Ubuntu en Cesarius Revolutions wrote:
[...] FOSSwire informa que el equipo de desarroladores de Ubuntu está trabajando en la interfaz gráfica para Xorg.conf, esto significaría un gran paso en acercar el sistema del pingüino a más usuarios que por temor a editar archivos/ficheros de configuración prefieren decirle un NO a GNU/Linux. Ubuntu se ha preocupado por el usuario y ya se están viendo los frutos de esta interfaz gráfica que permitirá configurar el driver, resolución de pantalla, varios monitores, refresco y demás aspectos de las X. [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 2:59 pm
_/¯¯/¯`(’·.·)´¯|¯¯|_ . · o O 0 ( XiuX’s Place! ) Ubuntu 7.10 permitirá configurar Xorg.conf desde interfaz gráfica « wrote:
[...] XiuX Una buena noticia para los usuarios de Ubuntu, la próxima versión 7.10 o Gutsy Gibbon, incorporará interfaz gráfica para configurar el archivo [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 4:42 pm
Ubuntu Gutsy permitirá configurar xorg.conf gráficamente « Entre tuxes y pepinos wrote:
[...] Fuente: FOSSwire [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 5:04 pm
Kadath wrote:
Jacob, could you upload the Glossy theme somewhere for people to download? Thanks.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 6:48 pm
trougnouf wrote:
I just tried it and it doesn’t seem to work with NVidia twinview (my first monitor is detected with the resolution of both, and the second is .. nothing?)
and this theme is included by default =)
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 7:11 pm
Jacob wrote:
Kadath:
I never thought an article about an X config tool would turn into a discussion about the theme used in the screenshots.
http://fosswire.com/2007/08/18/gnome-219s-glossy-theme/
Enjoy.
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 8:22 pm
Almost, Not Yet - links for 2007-08-19 wrote:
[...] Ubuntu getting Xorg.conf GUI Remember the good old days when to change a screen resolution or driver, you had to edit xorg.conf or reconfigure X.org? Those fine times are now over, or they will be, with the release of Ubuntu 7.10. As of an update from a few days ago, users are now ab (tags: digg Linux/Unix Technology) [...]
# Posted on 18-Aug-07 at 10:31 pm
Gnabbelschnabbel wrote:
Great, i hope it allows me to get dual screen for my i855gm working!
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 12:34 am
Ubuntu Life » Blog Archive » Ubuntu 7.10 incluira una herramienta para configurar el entorno grafico wrote:
[...] fuentes | Cesarius, Fosswire, PuntoGeek Tambien te puede [...]
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 12:51 am
heller wrote:
@Xiata:
as far as i can see this config tool handles the Xrandr extension from X.org. My experience with this tool is that you actually can set an offset. For all you guys who want to test this without a config dialog gui there exists a command line tool: xrandr. Here you can change, modify or do whatever you like to your display configuration. However the settings get lost after a restart of X, so the window manager/login manager has to take care of restoring these settings. These things don’t go into xorg.conf. Nevertheless i don’t know how X.org 7.3 handles it, could be possible that you have config options for this by then …
Oh and one last thing: if you want to play around with this: You don’t need a Modes line in your config, just make sure you have a big enough Virtual line.
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 1:14 am
Kristoffer wrote:
OMG… I waited so long for this moment…
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 3:26 am
Kernel Source » Blog Archive » Configurador gráfico de X.org en Ubuntu wrote:
[...] de las últimas novedades que al parecer quieren introducir en las próximas distribuciones es la herramienta de configuración gráfica del servidor X.org (ya comentada en Kernel Source) con la que los usuarios podrán configurar todos los aspectos de [...]
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 5:33 am
liberforce wrote:
Come on… I’m using Mandriva since 2003 and back then this kind of UI already existed. Here is a link to Mandrake 9.2 UI, but it already existed for a long time (at least since 2000 - Mandrake 7.0): http://linux.techteam.gr/docs/mandrake/9.2/xfdrake.html
Welcome Ubuntu, but don’t tell yourself “it’s a revolution”…
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 8:35 am
Ubuntu 7.10 permitirá configurar Xorg.conf desde interfaz gráfica « Un cuadro al mundo wrote:
[...] by bewi Una buena noticia para los usuarios de Ubuntu, la próxima versión 7.10 o Gutsy Gibbon, incorporará interfaz gráfica para configurar el archivo [...]
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 4:00 pm
Interfaz gráfica para Xorg | albertferran wrote:
[...] de las novedades que más facilitará la vida a los usuarios de Ubuntu, será la inclusión de una interfaz gráfica para la configuración de [...]
# Posted on 19-Aug-07 at 10:35 pm
Christoossov pasijon Urejevalnik nastavitev X.org z GUIjem « wrote:
[...] Urejevalnik nastavitev X.org z GUIjem August 20th, 2007 — christooss Kot piše na poroča Fosswire so razvijalci Ubuntuja za novo verzijo Ubuntuja Gutsy Gibbon, začeli razvijati Urejevalnik nastavitev X.org. [...]
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 2:51 am
news.osn.ro wrote:
Ubuntu primeste GUI pentru Xorg.conf…
După prea mult timp de editare manuală a xorg.conf pentru a modifica o rezoluţie sau un driver sau a reconfigura X.org, Ubuntu 7.10 aduce cu sine încă din actualizările beta-ului existent, o interfaţă grafică pentru utilizator. În sfârşit!
…
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 3:00 am
cnyegle wrote:
well,is there anyone who can tell me what’s the name of the package which contains this tools?
I’m using Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon,and I cannot find this tools in the Gnome Control Center,maybe this is because I used gtkorphan and deleted some packages.
Can anyone help me?
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 5:50 am
cnyegle wrote:
Sorry,I guessed out the package name from the pictures name displayed in this artical,it’s displayconfig-gtk.Sorry for disturbing…
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 5:56 am
Xorg.Conf con interfaz gráfica en Ubuntu « Ubunblog wrote:
[...] con interfaz gráfica en Ubuntu Agosto 20, 2007 Posted by ubunblog in General. trackback FOSSwire informa que el equipo de desarroladores de Ubuntu está trabajando en la interfaz gráfica para Xorg.conf, [...]
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 8:27 am
Mike wrote:
Fantastic. This was BADLY needed by the Linux community. I’ve had a few embarrassing moments on Linux where I try to switch new people over to it, bragging about what it can do, but then find I have to edit xorg.conf to get the resolution that they used to have in it. Most of the time I have to drop the color-level down to 16 instead of 24. Sometimes I have to choose a different hertz. And then there’s the occasional case where I need to setup a two monitor system either by two cards or a special card with a split cable.
Now if they could just get more printer drivers out there for the cheaper new printers, that would be a big help in encouraging more Linux converts as well.
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 8:59 am
Linux: A GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works … · TechBlogger wrote:
[...] GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works and set to be bundled in Ubuntu Gutsy. Say farewell to manually editing this file from the [...]
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 1:44 pm
devnet wrote:
Bout time…Mandriva and PCLInuxOS have had this since their inception.
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 1:52 pm
More Ubuntu News « dreaming spires wrote:
[...] what to do to enable desktop effects.“ In related news, Ubuntu 7.10 will reportedly include a graphical tool for configuring X.Org. No Comments Leave a Commenttrackback addressThere was an error with your comment, please try [...]
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 2:56 pm
dingfelder wrote:
“This was BADLY needed by the Linux community”
I think what you meant to say is “This was badly needed by the Ubuntu community”. A few other flavors of Linux have had GUI config apps for quite some time.
While Ubuntu is nice for many users and we all love our particular linux choice, Linux != Ubuntu
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 3:40 pm
Luis Medina wrote:
Edit by hand xorg.conf its a great way to learn some usefull thinks but some ones make a video mess.
But for a new-non-tech user this utility make video hacks over. At last, models and resolutions are just options and this make more easy to a lot of peopple.
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 8:23 pm
Casey Watson wrote:
Looks good! Keep up the good work!
# Posted on 20-Aug-07 at 9:45 pm
Linux: A GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works … | Redslush.com wrote:
[...] A GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works … A GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works and set to be bundled in Ubuntu Gutsy. Say farewell to manually editing this file from the [...]
# Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 3:37 am
GUI XORG Conf Tool at Harsh J wrote:
[...] Source [...]
# Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 5:57 am
Xin wrote:
There is a utility called xorg-edit v07.04.23
Web: http://www.cyskat.de/dee/progxorg.htm
Wiki: http://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/xorg-edit
Is that the same thing?
I don’t know.
# Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 10:11 am
Ubuntu getting Xorg.conf GUI « LuisRei.com wrote:
[...] getting Xorg.conf GUI Filipe IMed me this link. That’s great news - it was one of the most important things missing from Ubuntu (in my [...]
# Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 3:14 pm
Stuarts Blog » Linux: A GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works … wrote:
[...] GUI front-end for xorg.conf is in the works and set to be bundled in Ubuntu Gutsy. Say farewell to manually editing this file from the [...]
# Posted on 21-Aug-07 at 3:25 pm
Interfaz gráfica para Xorg.conf « The ZeRoX Blog wrote:
[...] gráfica para Xorg.conf 22 08 2007 En el blog FOSSwire aparece que los desarrolladores de Ubuntu están creando una interfaz gráfica para poder [...]
# Posted on 22-Aug-07 at 4:40 am
Kalle wrote:
Way to go Ubuntu!
# Posted on 23-Aug-07 at 1:36 pm
Aaron wrote:
Typical, I finally get to the point where I can edit the file without ending up at the terminal in panic mode, and they make it easy.
# Posted on 29-Aug-07 at 6:00 pm
Ubuntu 7.10 is shipping with xorg.conf gui » Anthology of Ideas wrote:
[...] Ubuntu 7.10 is shipping with xorg.conf gui Posted on Thursday the 30th of August, 2007 at 9:00 pm in Computers, Asides As of an update from a few days ago, users are now able to access a graphical user interface for editing xorg.conf, though only for graphic and display settings. This tool has support for dual monitors at the moment, and with the release of X.org 7.3 it will be possible to add even more. You can turn on and off both (or one) of your monitor(s), change the available resolutions, orientations, and set mirror or exteneded desktops. Fosswire [...]
# Posted on 30-Aug-07 at 6:04 pm
Finally a unified configuration applet for Xorg.. wrote:
[...] at least that was what I hoped. In the update to this article it says it will not be ready in Ubuntu before april 2008. The lack of an easy way of setting up X [...]
# Posted on 31-Aug-07 at 2:35 pm
Links for 9 August 2007 - 6 September 2007 :: Col’s Tech Stuff wrote:
[...] Ubuntu getting Xorg.conf GUI - I don’t think it’ll be long before this is ported to Solaris, especially with the current Indiana drive. [...]
# Posted on 06-Sep-07 at 5:32 pm
Towney wrote:
Thats dope!
# Posted on 13-Sep-07 at 5:44 am
Гуманное редактирование xorg.conf « Записки с Тихого Океана wrote:
[...] один вариант будет встроен в предстоящий резил за номером 7.10. Эта новость подняла [...]
# Posted on 17-Sep-07 at 1:44 am
dima wrote:
Hope 60Hz is minimum…Thank you in advance!
# Posted on 18-Sep-07 at 2:34 am
Руслан wrote:
А это ещё давно было в старом дистрибутиве Линукс АСП 11.2,так что не новость…
# Posted on 23-Sep-07 at 1:22 pm
-ahd- wrote:
Mentioning a GUI without a program name or even GUI menu location is pretty useless.
# Posted on 29-Sep-07 at 12:01 pm
Ubuntu 7.10 is shipping with xorg.conf gui » Anthology of Ideas wrote:
[...] Ubuntu 7.10 is shipping with xorg.conf gui Posted on Thursday the 30th of August, 2007 at 9:00 pm in Asides, Computers As of an update from a few days ago, users are now able to access a graphical user interface for editing xorg.conf, though only for graphic and display settings. This tool has support for dual monitors at the moment, and with the release of X.org 7.3 it will be possible to add even more. You can turn on and off both (or one) of your monitor(s), change the available resolutions, orientations, and set mirror or exteneded desktops. Fosswire [...]
# Posted on 30-Sep-07 at 5:57 am
Josh Davis wrote:
Buggy is an understatement. It’s a very bad utility and changes things by its self as of 7.10 pub release.
# Posted on 21-Oct-07 at 2:02 pm
Mighty Linuxz » Blog Archive » Ubuntu getting Xorg.conf GUI wrote:
[...] read more | digg story [...]
# Posted on 29-Oct-07 at 7:30 am
JC's ||| The SUMS® [Blog The SUMS®] ||| Julio Cesar wrote:
[...] FOSSwire informa que el equipo de desarrolladores de Ubuntu está trabajando en la interfaz gráfica para Xorg.conf, esto significaría un gran paso en acercar el sistema del pingüino a más usuarios que por temor a editar archivos/ficheros de configuración prefieren decirle un NO a GNU/Linux. Ubuntu se ha preocupado por el usuario y ya se están viendo los frutos de esta interfaz gráfica que permitirá configurar el driver, resolución de pantalla, varios monitores, refresco y demás aspectos de las X. [...]
# Posted on 25-Dec-07 at 9:39 pm
fangars wrote:
For as long as I can remember there have been GUI’s that were supposed to do something about setting your display or displays just the way you want them. And for as long as I can remember they seldom work. Just as back then as now if you have dual monitors the gui fails. You are forced to go into xorg.conf and manually edit it if you can begin to figure that out as there really is no definitive explanation as to how that file works.
Most “tutorials” seem to be written for people who probably wouldnt need a tutorial in the first place.
The GUI may work for some but there has never been a distro/DE combination that has nailed dual monitor setup with useful gui configuration tools. Also the tools tend to be spread across different apps instead of unified all in one place.
# Posted on 05-Jan-08 at 1:48 pm
Valentinos tiny WebServer » Blog Archive » How to change the screen refresh rate in Ubuntu Linux ?!? wrote:
[...] The issue should be solved with Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon), as there will be an buildt-in screen selector in the resolution and screen menu. See my screenshots of the new screen administration menu in Ubuntu 7.10 alpha below and read this article. [...]
# Posted on 25-Apr-08 at 8:56 pm
Ubuntu让Xorg.conf图形化! | LinuxDig wrote:
[...] 采自: FOSSWire [...]
# Posted on 04-May-08 at 10:06 am
eddy wrote:
Looks good, but how to install it on Ubuntu?
I also don’t see any download tab.
# Posted on 18-Jun-08 at 8:16 am
Rohan wrote:
You can launch this by using
gksu displayconfig -gtk
Really very helpful
# Posted on 23-Sep-08 at 11:07 am