Do you use dual Monitor for Coding
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"I don't and I wouldn't allow any developer working for me to use more than one monitor without providing actual measured proof that they are more efficient" I'm sure glad *I* don't work for a PHB like you. I have two high-res monitors sitting on my desk, and I'm about to get a third. I love it. I do high-performance graphics software for a living (and teach little kids how to play the violin on the side; if my management ever got to be an asshat like you, I'd be teaching violin full-time in about two weeks, and freelance programming on the side). One thing that managers tend to forget is that techies are largely motivated by getting to play with technology. It's worth real money to you to provide your techies with the latest and greatest equipment. Keeping your employees happy is a BIG part of keeping your employees productive -- and just keeping your employees. Having to replace *one* programmer because you refused to provide her/him with a 2nd monitor will wipe out all of the savings you could ever hope to achieve by penny-pinching on equipment over your entire career. I worked for an outfit like that once. I quit shortly after my request for a faster computer (the outdated one I had was taking several hours to do a typical build) was denied, and I found out that the manager had bought a state of the art system for his secretary, who did word-processing and email all day.
You got me all wrong on this one fortunately. I know techies are motivated by new technology that's not the point at all. We're a small company, efficiency is *everything*. There are no lengths I would not go to to improve efficiency by making sure the developer is as focused and happy as possible. But science is against the idea of multiple monitors, study after study shows that context switching is a very bad thing and despite all the high talk everyone uses to justify them I'd be willing to wager quite a sum that at least 50% of the time the second or other monitors are *not* being directly used for development purposes when someone is programming. All it takes is one flashing email notification in that right monitor to completely derail a programmers train of thought in the main monitor where they are working. So many posted here that they run email on the second monitor because they have to answer emails *while* programming! To me that is shocking and PHB-ness all the way. Any manager who doesn't understand this about programmers is a complete idiot- they need to focus to the exclusion of all else. If a programmer really thinks they can do their jobs without that intense almost trancelike focus then their job is completely redundant.
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Currently, I have dual 18" NEC MultiSync monitors that work great. However, in the next couple of weeks, management has made the decision to 'upgrade' to using only laptops with a 14.1" screen. No second monitors. :mad: At home, I have both 22" and 19" (ViewSonic)monitors that I use and am very happy with that arrangement.
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iacomp wrote:
Many Graphics cards allow you to use a vga or dvi splitter and connect that to two different screens - Probably a bit cheaper than buying a second graphics card. Check that your graphics card allows for "SLI" mode.
I do believe you can only use 1 monitor in SLI mode. I just installed and set up a second video card the other day and set up SLI, but I could only get video on one monitor (And in the documentation, it mentions it only works on one monitor). When disabling SLI mode, I got video back on both monitors.
modified on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 10:57 AM
Sorry, my mistake, I meant "Dual View" not "SLI". I had a similar problem with SLI. I read that the nvidia cards are unable to run SLI and Dual View simultaneously not sure about the ATI ones though.
**IA Computing Ltd - Neonlight
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Yeah, at home I've got a 24 and 15, 24 is main coding windows, with the 15 being documentation, MSDN, and test runs of the apps I'm coding. At work I'm (temporarily) stuck with a single 19 widescreen, but am going to move to a pair of 22s and have the 19 be on a secondary workstation. Probably will run a similar setup at that point.
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Simply... yes. I can have windows overlap intellegently such that various tasks are easier to do. Such as email opens up in the opposite window of my browser. STK opens in the opposite window of I-DEAS. A larger screen could do some of the job, but it is nice being able to use the maximize button without having the computer just decide to have the one window span the entire two screens across. Coding often leaves most other tasks in the other window so that I can refer back to them or pause and get back when I have to. Debugging is in the opposite window of VS. I try to keep it such that tasks that are mutually exclusive overlap, but sometimes it does get hard to pull off.
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So, because *you* don't need extra monitors, you assume nobody else does. As I said in another post, I'm glad I don't work for you, and I never will.
Don't be silly, here's why you'd never work for me: 0) You're reading comprehension well, frankly, it sucks. 1) You exhibit strong traits of close minded-ness, no ability to even consider an alternative point of view, not a sign of a creative thinker. 2) You jump to conclusions based on scant amounts of evidence where they will support your preconcieved notion. 3) You resent authority, consider yourself a "maverick" who can't live by other people's rules. I value that personality type highly but when it's combined with close mindednesss and quick jumping to conclusions it's not the creative genius trait that is so useful but a very negative combination that's disruptive and unproductive. ;)
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson
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You got me all wrong on this one fortunately. I know techies are motivated by new technology that's not the point at all. We're a small company, efficiency is *everything*. There are no lengths I would not go to to improve efficiency by making sure the developer is as focused and happy as possible. But science is against the idea of multiple monitors, study after study shows that context switching is a very bad thing and despite all the high talk everyone uses to justify them I'd be willing to wager quite a sum that at least 50% of the time the second or other monitors are *not* being directly used for development purposes when someone is programming. All it takes is one flashing email notification in that right monitor to completely derail a programmers train of thought in the main monitor where they are working. So many posted here that they run email on the second monitor because they have to answer emails *while* programming! To me that is shocking and PHB-ness all the way. Any manager who doesn't understand this about programmers is a complete idiot- they need to focus to the exclusion of all else. If a programmer really thinks they can do their jobs without that intense almost trancelike focus then their job is completely redundant.
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson
Even back when I was a beginning programmer, I liked two monitors (and that was back when monochrome monitors cost north of $1000). One for having documentation or listings open, and one for doing actual programming. At that time, having two monitors required two computers. When I couldn't get two monitors, I would print out whatever it was that I would have displayed on a second monitor and use a copy-holder. When Windows came along, that helped quite a bit, because I could quickly flip from one file to another, but I still preferred two monitors, and still do. Now that I have a NVidia Quadro that will drive 4 monitors, I dearly love having 3 monitors, one for viewing programming debugging, one for coding, and one for documentation and research. BTW, I keep my email program minimized, and check it whenever I come to a stopping point. Occasionally, I get a question from somebody about why I didn't respond instantly to an email, and I just tell them that if something needs an instant response, they need to come to my cube in person. The 'trancelike' state you describe is called 'Flow', and it is a major reason for my choice of programming as a career.
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Don't be silly, here's why you'd never work for me: 0) You're reading comprehension well, frankly, it sucks. 1) You exhibit strong traits of close minded-ness, no ability to even consider an alternative point of view, not a sign of a creative thinker. 2) You jump to conclusions based on scant amounts of evidence where they will support your preconcieved notion. 3) You resent authority, consider yourself a "maverick" who can't live by other people's rules. I value that personality type highly but when it's combined with close mindednesss and quick jumping to conclusions it's not the creative genius trait that is so useful but a very negative combination that's disruptive and unproductive. ;)
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it." -Sam Levenson
Your projection is showing. It's called "confirmation bias".
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Your projection is showing. It's called "confirmation bias".
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
I have a 17" Dell Monitor and a Sony Bravia; the Bravia was for the XBox, but I rigged it up as a 2nd monitor for my PC. I do most of my work on the main screen and keep my email, things to do, output etc on the widescreen bravia. I'd find it counter productive to go back to single monitor.
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
I use two 24" monitors and a third 22" monitor, making a total of 70" of screen space. I also plug into an overhead projector. The computer has 2 PCIe slots allowing me up to 4 monitors. These days I do more media development than coding, so this setup is extremely useful and very efficient. But I have to ask myself if I am compensating for something by having these oversize monitors(smirk). Seriously though, I do wonder if I'm really being green by having these huge monitors on all the time. May need to put some solar panels on the roof so I can feel better about myself. Of course I would never game on company time, but these monitors make gaming a lot more fun. When I code its helpful to have a website open on one screen with the code editor open on another. Two monitors is definitely worth the expense.
Tom Christensen www.actiondigital.com
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
2 at work and 2.5 at home. The ".5" is a laptop that's controlled with the same keyboard/mouse as the desktop but which I can't drag apps back and forth onto from my main machine.
Today's lesson is brought to you by the word "niggardly". Remember kids, don't attribute to racism what can be explained by Scandinavian language roots. -- Robert Royall
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I'm an elite alt-tabber. You can't look at two monitors at the same time so why bother? I also prefer the extra desk space and feel stupid wasting electricity on something that I only glance at occasionally. Multiple monitors are generally used by insecure kiddies that like to feel important.
Redmist77 wrote:
You can't look at two monitors at the same time so why bother?
Does just fine for me.
Redmist77 wrote:
prefer the extra desk space
Not a problem here ;P
Redmist77 wrote:
Multiple monitors are generally used by insecure kiddies that like to feel important.
I don't think so :|
"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Yes, and YES!!! I am an intermediate developer (I Think, 3 years exp, 1 year doing full projects), and it is extremely helpful to have my coding references open on my secondary screen while i code. I can look up the "help" and then code it in and not have to switch between windows. So my second monitor is like a reading pane. I read my email, browse the web, open folders and files form there and the only work i do on it is enter my project hours and tasks on that screen. It works great, when i go home and have to work on my single screen of the laptop, I seem to only get about 75% done compared to 2 screens.
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Yes, I do and love it. However, I would like to force certain apps onto one of the of the screens, is there a command (in c++) to do that. I have looked around but found nothing.
Nvidia, if you have a nvidia card they have a software solution. It can remember what window your app is on and it can add a single button into the windows main bar that when pressed moves the window to the other monitor. I used it when i had a desktop machine, just loved it. (Now I have a mobile with ATI and they don't have such a feature :( .
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Three. The productivity increase may be intrinsic and hard to quantify, but here is the logic behind why I do this set up. I have a central 24" widescreen, with a 20" widescreen on each side. The tools I use most are Visual Studio 2008, Sql Management Studio, Internet Explorer (or other browser), Microsoft Word, and Outlook. At times I may have any of a number of other tools running as well. These tools are pretty inter-related. I may be coding/testing in VS, but it impacts the database and sometimes, it is just nice to have the table layout or a diagram of some sort clearly viewable on one screen and the working window available in the other. At the same time, I usually have reference documentation, peer comments, or even "how-to" articles in the third. To be honest, there is a declining return the more monitors you add. Having six monitors, with my current tool set, would be unnecessary and probably counter productive. I don't have to print as much. I used to print my emails or documentation so it could be in front of me on my desk, where I could see it at all times. I don't do that at all now. Mulitple monitors vs larger monitor. One word, "fullscreen". Having VS open full screen on the central monitor, with SQL Management Studio open full screen on the second is incredible. I'm trying to save time sorting through windows. Resizing windows and organizing them on a screen is time consuming. I want to flick the window to the screen I need it in, and full size it. I don't full screen browser windows, or even Office documents. I usually do have some need for just leaving them tiled on one screen. To sum up, I have a management workstation, a laptop, and my development workstation on my L-shaped desk. (Not to mention my Laser printer and my minifridge :) They are arranged to keep the tasks I perform encapsulated into a neat and organized environment. When papers stack on my desk, items are forgotten. When they are neatly organized, more work gets done. Its the same with screens. They are cheap these days. Organize your work environment to promote maximum efficiency. Three monitors does not equal 3x's more work done. But it definitely increases efficiency by a LARGE factor.
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I do and it does help (IDE on one screen, documentation/IE/other stuff on the other). And it makes your life slightly easier while debugging (place app window on different screen than your IDE, so they don't overlap which can be extremely helpful when you debug painting code). Heck, now I'm thinking about buying third monitor... :-\
I use two. I could definitely use a third. Especially when debugging. My IDE in the center, the app being debugged on the left, and my documentation, music, and chat windows on the right. I can't imagine debugging in a single window (unless it was a shell app being debugged by GDB). When apps hit breakpoints in debuggers they don't repaint themselves which means any area the window covers is unusable. I also use multiple screens to run multiple instances of my IDE at the same time. I can be coding a control in one IDE while I am working on integration of the control into an app in a second IDE and still be able to see both sets of code side by side.
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Never used dual before my current job (2 years). Though it was a waste of space. Now I find it hard to live without it. I find it extreamly useful to debug my applications. I had to do this at home also so I would not go in to withdrawls. :doh: My wife thought I was crazy until I set her up with duals (laptop and LCD/TV). Now she gets upset :mad: if I want to use the LCD/TV to watch TV.
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Do you use dual monitor and how it is helping you?
Tapas Shome System Software Engineer Keen Computer Solutions 1408 Erin Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3E 2S8 http://www.keencomputer.com
Yes, I have for years and shudder at the thought of coding without it. #1 benefit is documentation. I leave local copies of MSDN maximized on the second monitor. Other benefits: - makes finding the "right" API call a snap - makes it easier to figure out where to put an API call or code sample since Visual Studio is maximized on the primary monitor. - makes tracing through log files easier (ultraedit on the secondary, visual studio on the primary) - great for reading through the extra technical articles that come bundled with MSDN while some long running install, uninstall, compile, etc... is running on the primary monitor. - great for matching up the UI to spec screenshots. - great for ripping code out of the platform SDK by having visual studio open on both monitors (my project on primary, the code sample on the secondary). - great for working through any kind of tutorial or walkthrough (browser in second window, visual studio in primary window). It's a big part of why I'm so much more productive (codewise at least) than you single monitor types (j/k people, much love to all coders!) ;)
------------------ MCAD.net, MSc (CS)