
How to Use Your Android Tablet as a Second Monitor - rodrigo975
https://blog.8bitbuddhism.com/2019/12/01/how-to-use-your-android-tablet-as-second-monitor/
======
pizza234
I needed a similar setup some time ago, and I was so frustrated by the Linux
remote desktop open source solutions, that I ended up using Nomachine, which
turned out to be very impressive.

I'm mystified by the enormous gap between the open source solutions and
Nomachine, both in the technical and usability areas. The open source
solutions are sadly terrible; those who aren't convinced, just try Nomachine.

It's puzzling because solutions like X2Go (which I found to be the most
usable) rely on older NX protocol versions (v3 was open), but still, they have
terrible performance. This means that in the last 10 years, there has been no
virtually development in the open source remote desktop field.

~~~
Fnoord
Have you tried xrdp? Here's an example usage [1]. Your X server would run a
sort of RDP emulation layer, and then any RDP client works. Obviously you'd
tunnel it over a VPN or SSH.

I haven't used NoMachine in like 10 years or so. Back in the days (~15 years
ago), I used to run it on UltraSPARC machines running Debian and Gnome. It
worked marvelous, even with a FOSS server (FreeNX IIRC). It even worked on the
Nokia N-series! Although it sucked to run it on a Mac; you had to run a
complete X server, which looked terrible (including the fonts).

[1] [https://github.com/deskor/xrdp](https://github.com/deskor/xrdp)

~~~
pizza234
Yes (specifically, the original distribution
([https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp](https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp))
and the one provided in the repository of my o/s), and it fell flat on the
usability side - gave me a blank screen after logging in. Gave up after an
hour or two of attempts. X2Go worked straight out of the box, but it's very
slow (on a 10 Mbit home wifi connection).

~~~
bleepblorp
Xrdp has horrendously bad documentation and installation scripts but it does
mostly work after configuration.

You have to manually edit /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh to make xrdp launch a desktop
environment when it accepts a connection. If you don't do this, you'll get a
blank screen or something non-useful, like a session with just one Xterm
window and no desktop environment.

Note that Linux does not support shifting sessions from the local keyboard,
mouse & screen to remote access. Further, the major desktop environments don't
support simultaneous sessions from the same user.

With any of the remote access tools that don't simply take over the local
screen and keyboard, if you have an active session on the physical screen, you
won't be able to connect to it remotely, nor will you be able to start a new
session remotely under the same login. you'll need to log out from the
physical screen before attempting a remote connection.

Finally, Xrdp clipboard sharing does not work with Linux clients.

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HMH
This is quite similar to my latest project Weylus [1]. You still have to
create the virtual output yourself but then you do not only get a second
monitor but all the touch events are handled properly and you can even use a
stylus/pen with pressure sensitivity. Additionally it also works on
iOS/iPadOS.

[1]: [https://github.com/H-M-H/Weylus](https://github.com/H-M-H/Weylus)

~~~
_frkl
Oh wow, pretty impressive. Have to try that out tomorrow!

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bjoli
This is tangential to something I want to achieve: I have a 2016 iMac. Does
anyone of you know if I can use that as a second display? Apple removed target
display mode, which means the Mac with it's amazing screen is collecting dust.

I have used it to ssh into my Linux machine and have it as my main terminal
and documentation viewer machine using synergy, but that is tiresome.

~~~
mronge
Yes! We built that into Luna Display: [https://shop.astropad.com/pages/meet-
mac-to-mac-mode](https://shop.astropad.com/pages/meet-mac-to-mac-mode)

We are also launching a Kickstarter at the end of the month to add Windows
support to Luna.

~~~
bjoli
Cool product! I am a Linux user, so that is not quite for me. But almost!

I was just bummed that target display mode was removed in 2012. The last Mac I
owned voluntarily had it, and the one I have now just sort of ended up in my
hands. Now it is just an amazing display I don't really want to use since I
can't run a proper OS on it without ruining the Mac os experience for my wife.

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nemacol
This is neato but I would suggest you splurge for the USB monitor if you can.
Still can't watch movies on it, but they are great little screens for the
money.

My main issue is, without a stand, they sit on the table and are uncomfortable
to use for long periods. The ones I have used are VESA mountable though - so
it is a problem with an easy solution.

~~~
zwieback
My employer gave us a small budget to improve our WFH setup. I bought a USB
"monitor" with a cover that folds back into a stand. I'm surprised how much I
ended up liking this.

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gambiting
I bought a cheap £20 windows tablet from ebay(an old Tesco Connect 8 tablet),
put windows 10 on it, and now I can seamlessly connect it as a second screen
from anywhere, the windows "remote screen" feature is incredible for that.
With 2 clicks it shows up as a regular secondary monitor that I can just drag
things onto.

~~~
jonathanlydall
I'm a big user of Remote Desktop on my Windows 10 computers, but am unaware of
any "remote screen" feature. I did a quick internet search but couldn't really
see any information about such a feature built into Windows. Could you tell me
more about how you achieve this?

~~~
soylentcola
I believe this is the Miracast feature that was common for a minute on some
TVs and other devices but sort of fell by the wayside later on.

You can mirror or extend your screen from one Win10 device to another Win10
device on the same network (assuming, of course, that it's not some sort of
locked down or public wifi, etc.)

Please correct me if I am wrong, as I've not used this function in probably a
year or more.

~~~
gambiting
Yep, on one Windows 10 machine you need to go to Settings->Projection
Settings, switch it on there, then from another Windows 10 machine you can
simply press Win+P and select "connect to screen", then click on the other
machine name.

The only caveat is that both machines have to use Wi-Fi - it doesn't work over
LAN at all. And yes, I believe it uses Miracast underneath.

~~~
0xffff2
>both machines have to use Wi-Fi - it doesn't work over LAN at all

This has to be one of the most baffling statements I've ever read on the
internet. What on Earth could the possibly be doing that this is the case?

Edit: Never mind. Another comment says that it's actually a feature of certain
Intel WiFi chipsets, so it's not that you have to be using WiFi in general,
it's that both devices have to be using specific Intel WiFi chips that support
the feature.

~~~
soylentcola
Yeah, it seems sort of silly that there's no basic feature for remote
"projection" over LAN built in now that I think of it.

They already have remote desktop built in, so it seems like something they
could add without a ton of fuss.

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ant6n
Mmh. There are external, portable usb-c monitors, which are convenient because
you can plug them into any usb-c laptop. But they are „dumb“, only work in
connection with a laptop. I wonder whether there is one that can act as an
Android tablet when not plugged in.

~~~
chiefalchemist
True. But I've looked at various small portable screens and they're rather
expensive. The advantage of using something you already have is you save money
and it's one less thing to carry.

That aside, I struggle to understand why laptop to tablet still requires magic
in 2020? Are manufacturers afraid of cannibalizing sales for one line to
another?

~~~
ant6n
Well I travel a fair amount for work and would like to have an external
monitor for the work laptop, but also a personal tablet. With a 2-in-1 device
I could solve both concerns without adding too much travel weight.

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kkapelon
or you can simply use spacedesk..
[https://spacedesk.net/](https://spacedesk.net/)

~~~
Fnoord
Caveat emptor: server runs on Windows only.

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nicetryguy
In this same vein, i use DroidCam and my phone as a high quality webcam. Full
version is 5 bucks, money well spent!

~~~
soylentcola
I started messing with that but found obs.ninja easier to use with better
results. Then again, I already use OBS' virtual camera as the source in my
conferences, if only for basic resizing and color correction of my mediocre
webcam.

Ended up not using it after a while because I didn't like the way the phone
still gets pretty warm after an hour or two conference (same as DroidCam et
al).

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chx
[https://askubuntu.com/a/240571/8023](https://askubuntu.com/a/240571/8023)

[https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/235388/9452](https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/235388/9452)

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TekMol

        The final step is to use a VNC viewer
        app on your tablet to open the x11vnc session
    

But is there a trustworthy one? Why would I allow all my information go to an
app made by some company or individual I don't know and don't trust?

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Fnoord
If you start Steam, and have a client for Steam Play (e.g. TV or Android
device with Steam Link) you can use that device as second monitor by alt
tabbing out of Steam.

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JansjoFromIkea
I’ve always just used twomonusb, has just about worked and required very
little configuration

~~~
robotnikman
I took a look at the app on the play store, the horrible grammar doesn't
exactly inspire confidence in it.

------
gbraad
Use spacedesk or miracast if your device supports it

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reportgunner
... or you could just use TeamViewer or any other screensharing software
without all the hassle if you really think that using a RDP is a "second
monitor".

~~~
arnoooooo
This actually allows you to use both screens and move windows from one to the
other. Not at all the same as just screensharing.

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amelius
I don't understand the need for more than one monitor. Just setup your desktop
so you can switch virtual workspaces with a key combination. It's faster than
turning your head.

~~~
cecilpl2
This is such a bizarre idea. I have 7 monitors on my home office - 6 24" in a
2x3 grid and a 27" widescreen vertically beside them.

I use them all. It's so nice to have my IDE, documentation, 2 terminals, CI
status, Slack, music, source control, diffs, etc all visible at once.

Not only is it faster to my move my eyeballs than key combo to another
desktop, it's about having all the info visible at once.

Your comment is like saying "Why bother having 16 registers in your CPU? Just
use a single register and go out to cache every time you need a new value."

~~~
amelius
I don't think my setup is bizarre at all. The human eye has only a small area
of sharp vision, so you can't even see all your screens sharply at the same
time (unless you step back). With virtual workspaces you can switch screens
extremely rapidly, without even moving your eyes.

And as a bonus, you're helping to save the planet as you're not burning energy
for monitors you're not looking at.

Another bonus is that you don't feel under-equipped anytime you move to a
different computer (or a laptop).

By the way, I'm curious: how do you quickly know which screen has keyboard
focus without manually scanning all your screens? And how do you quickly
switch between windows?

~~~
t-writescode
For me, the "which window do I currently have active" problem is primarily an
issue on Mac OS X since it opens all windows that have the name "Firefox" and
will select focus of one ... I guess the last one that was used? But that
means that some random window goes zipping by and grabs my attention - but
that's not the one that's open.

As for the swiping motion and "human vision can only see a little bit at a
time", you're right, but I can see motion and changes in things pretty well on
the edges.

Further, I find the animation experience of my whole world changing in front
of me when I go to a different workspace to be incredibly distracting - enough
that I might forget what I'm doing. Turning my head to the right (I tend to
work on my left monitor) is a much less mentally confusing experience.

To add to that, right now, I have Hacker News open to the left-most, taking up
half the screen, Slack in the center, and then the documentation for a new
feature taking up the whole right screen. That means that my docs are a slight
turn of the head away, and no distracting animations. When I close this window
after completing this message, I'll easily be able to replace Slack and
Firefox with my IDE (which will be split down the middle with two documents
open concurrently), and I'll be able to go right to work, and my spec sheet
will _still_ be to the right of my vision and ready to be developed against.

If the coding gets really, really complicated, I'll be able to easily have 3
windows open, side by side by side, at the width of the window I like (around
120 columns), all in a comfortable range.

I am perfectly capable, also, of picking up my laptop and going off to the
couch - I did it last night for a change in scenery - and working from there;
but, I prefer the real-estate that a 1440p and a 1080p (of different sizes)
next to each other provides me.

~~~
amelius
> Further, I find the animation experience of my whole world changing in front
> of me when I go to a different workspace to be incredibly distracting

What kind of animation does your OS use? For me, on Gnome, the transition is
instantaneous (no animation). Switching between workspaces is snappy.

Also, if you change tabs in your browser, then you also have "the whole world
changing in front of you". I'm curious what exactly makes a virtual desktop
not pleasant to use for you.

~~~
t-writescode
I don't actually change tabs in a browser that often. I tend to have what I
want open and I don't keep very many tabs open.

There's also to do with the frequency of the action. I don't open new tabs
very much; and, when I do, I tend to already be distracted and doing something
off-hand, like looking at Reddit. Deep in work, it's far more distracting and
would be far, far more regular.

As for relevant operating system:

    
    
      * OS X
      * Linux (Mint, generally)
    

With multiple monitors, I've generally stopped using the virtual desktop
experience.

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dvfjsdhgfv
"8-bit Buddhism" sounds even worse than 2-bit Islam. Honestly people, think a
bit before choosing a name for your tech blog.

~~~
t-writescode
I believe it’s a reference to the 8-fold path, and I thought it was quite
creative:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path)

~~~
timbit42
Wouldn't it be more clever to call it 3-bit?

