Melbourne based developer xssfox have Supports unique “diagonal mode” for monitors Using Linux’s xrandr (x resizing and rotation) tool, I found a 22 degree tilt to the left, which is the ideal angle for software development on a 32:9 aspect ratio monitor. As Tom’s Hardware points out, Linux is “the only OS that supports a tilted monitor mode that allows you to customize the tilt to your preference.” That begs the question. Could 2024 be the year of the Linux diagonal desktop? From the report: Xssfox uses the stable old landscape and portrait modes to evaluate different screen rotations before introducing xrandr to test rotations such as a slightly tilted 1 degree or an indecisive 45 degree. We have devised a consistent method to do this. These yielded a variety of results of questionable benefit, so the search for a Goldilocks solution continued. I found that the sweet spot for xssfox was a 22 degree tilt to the left. This rotation provided the perfect working screen space for Dell’s 32:9 aspect ratio monitor. “So I think this is the best monitor orientation for software development,” the developer commented. “We now offer the longest row lengths and no longer have to worry about the pesky 80-column limit.”
If you have monitors with the same aspect ratio, a 22 degree angle may also work well. However, those with other non-traditional monitor rotation needs can use xssfox’s javascript calculator to generate his xrandr command for given input. For example, someone who owns an LG DualUp 28MQ780, which is almost perfectly square, may want to try “Diamond Mode”. Please note that Windows users using AMD and Nvidia drivers are currently constrained to applying screen rotation using 90 degree steps. MacOS users appear to be facing similar limitations.