As of today, I have found the way to have the external monitor work out-of-the-box.
After posting a bug report to the ubuntu team complaining for not updating the xorg-xserver-driver-intel package with fixes submitted for more than 1 month, developers said that an updated driver can be found in another repository!!
After configuring the new repository, my ubuntu installed the new driver which makes external-monitor work out-of-the-box!!
Here are the steps I followed to install packages from the ppa X Updates repository:
1. setup the sources
how to: https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/add-applications/C/extra-repositories-adding.html
source added: deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates/ubuntu jaunty main
detailed instructions:
System -> Administration -> Software Sources
[tab] Third-Party Software -> Add
enter deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates/ubuntu jaunty main
[tab] Authentication -> Import Key File
download the file here, save it, and select it when pressing the Import Key File button
Then close the application window; ubuntu it will then automatically reload all package updates; if it doesn't, don't worry, follow to next step.
2. install updated driver
detailed instructions:
System -> Administration -> Update manager
(if necessary, press the 'Check' button to refresh what packages need to be upgraded.
I was asked to 'Run a partial upgrade', which of course I accepted.
3. reboot
And external monitor worked without any tweaks!
Now I can have the external monitor without having to recompiled and so so on every kernel upgrade, great!
Some info: my xorg.conf file, just in case anyone needs it:
# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# Note that some configuration settings that could be done previously
# in this file, now are automatically configured by the server and settings
# here are ignored.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
Device "Configured Video Device"
SubSection "Display"
Virtual 2048 2048
EndSubSection
EndSection
