I'd like to prevent maximize from covering one third of the screen

Question

Using Ubuntu 10.10, gnome, and dual nvidia monitors.

Gnome panels and docky are able to "reserve" part of the screen for themselves in such a way as to prevent maximized windows from covering them up. I'd like to setup a region on my desktop in the same manner. Between conky, pidgin, pandora, and a couple of widgets, I have a group of items I want to always be able to view. "Always on Top" is not good enough,

I don't even know which part of the "stack" (X, Compix, Metacity, Gnome...) controls this behavior, and my google-fu was too weak to find the answer.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I found three different solutions. I'm using both Maximumize and Grid.

1. Use Compiz Maximumize. Maximumize basically does Maximize, but won't overlap other widows, so it trys for the larget chunk of screen real estate it can find.

2. Use Compiz Grid. Grid setups shortcuts to move and resize windows to a side or corner of the screen.

3. Python Windows Organizer, similar to Boith Grid and Maximumize, needs a bit more work to setup.

For other OS's

• OSX
• Windows
• Windows

Answer 2

I've described another solution to this over at askubuntu: https://askubuntu.com/questions/35079/id-like-to-prevent-maximize-from-covering-one-third-of-the-screen/52749#52749. Basically, Compiz has a mechanism of "outputs" that may or may not correspond to anything physical but simply lay over the actual screen. You can give it an output the size of the whole screen as well as a smaller output excluding the region you want your widgets in, and tell Compiz to give priority to the smaller one; this makes windows that are contained in the smaller output maximize just there, rather than to the whole screen. See my link for details. (Sorry to anithri for answering him twice; this is really a comment for others who come across the question.)