Setting screen rotation on Debian and Gnome

Question

I just installed Debian 10 on my gpd pocket 2 and it is working great except I cannot get the screen to persistently rotate on login.

Currently, I am able to rotate the screen by selecting "GNOME on xorg" from the gear menu when I login, and then run xrandr --screen 0 -o right however this is going to get old fast.

I have tried a couple xorg solutions but have not had success. I created the following script based on https://github.com/joshskidmore/gpd-pocket-2-arch-guide#install-xorg-packages and https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/103460/how-to-change-gnome-default-screen-rotation:

Section "Monitor"
  Identifier    "eDP1"
  Option        "Rotate"                 "right"
EndSection

And I have installed in the following locations:

• /etc/X11/xorg.conf (by editing the current "monitor" section)
• /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/ (I had to make this directory, then made “30-display.conf” with the above settings)
• /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d (just added "30-display.conf" file)

And all result in a flickering on login. I see a black flash (similar to when I execute xrandr after login), then a square filled with static-grey for about 1s twice in a row, then it loads the screen in the "normal" / sideways orientation.

Even when I put xrandr --screen 0 -o right in ~/.profile, the same effect is observed. This does work when I put it into ~/.bashrc but it is after login and again, I would like to automate this configuration.

I have a feeling that Debian is trying to implement the configuration but something is conflicting. How should I proceed with this venture?

EDIT: Some new information

Determined my screen manager according to https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/20376/293647 and it is:

/usr/sbin/gdm3

After reading the following link, I discovered this about GDM:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GDM#Rotate_login_screen

Changes will take effect on logout. This is necessary because GDM does not respect xorg.conf.

Which is probably why I am not accomplishing rotation with xorg. So, what's next?

EDIT 2:

https://www.reddit.com/r/GPDPocket/comments/ao95t9/tracking_touch_screen_calibration_issue_on_pocket/eg0odbe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

gnome is still not oriented but this code from the above link orients grub!

sudo vim /etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="fbcon=rotate:1 quiet"
sudo update-grub # a lot of guides are missing this step

Answer 1

I found a hacky solution but it requires freshly installing Debian. Let me explain.

---

In an effort to fix my screen, I updated my intel video driver.

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/driver/xf86-video-intel

What I did not anticipate was that this driver would block gnome from allowing me to make changes using settings -> display -> orientation and that is why I was looking for a code-based solution. As I mentioned in an edit above, the GPD Pocket 2 system with Debian 10 and GNOME uses GDM as a screen manager by default, so any xorg-based solution will fail.

So, the first step in a solution for this problem was re-installing Debian. This was possible for me because I was just in the process of making configurations with my Pocket 2, but I also recognize that this is not acceptable for all similar situations. To that end, I am not going to accept my answer and I will await a more thorough explanation and solution for permanently fixing the screen. But until then, perhaps consider the following hacky procedure.

---

1) Assuming that you have a fresh install, let's first fix grub. In terminal:

sudo vim /etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="fbcon=rotate:1 quiet"
sudo update-grub                    # a lot of guides are missing this step

This will orient the system output on boot and your grub consoles (e.g., via function+alt+2 keybinding) but it does not fix your login screen. That remains a piece of this puzzle that I have no solution for, but onward.

2) Next, let's put together our hacky auto-screen orientation.

First, navigate settings -> display -> orientation and select an orientation of portrait left and resolution of 1200x1920.

If you got this far and can live with squinting, I suppose you are done. Your desktop environment should boot with these settings.

3) If you want to auto-load an improved orientation, here's what I did.

Next navigate Tweaks -> Startup Applications and select Terminal.

Finally, in your ~/.bashrc file, enter the following code wherever:

res=$(xrandr | grep \* | cut -d' ' -f4)
if [ "$res" != "600x960_60.00" ]; then
    xrandr --newmode "600x960_60.00" 47.25 600 640 696 792 960 963 973 996 -hsync +vsync
    # the above line informed from: https://superuser.com/a/716837/1078490
    # you may have to configure the line according to your cvt output
    xrandr --addmode eDP-1 "600x960_60.00"
    xrandr --output eDP-1 --mode "600x960_60.00"
fi

Now when you login, terminal will launch then .bashrc will handle the resolution configuration automatically. Not ideal, as opening/closing the lid will not encounter this script and you will therefore need to open terminal again. But it will maintain resolution through suspend/wake cycles if you hold the power button for ~3s before closing the lid.