Do you use dual Monitor for Coding

[gongchengshi]

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.

[JourneyWare]

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.

[shea c4]

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)

[Dan Neely]

Lesson learned. Never buy a toy for yourself if you can't afford to buy one for your spouse in short order if necessary. :-\

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

[shea c4]

Glad to see a boss out there that understands the concentration/focus it takes to do things well. I would be more distracted if I had email up on a second window; the desktop alert (fade-in/fade-out notification) is bad enough. I'll often turn it off temporarily if working on a particularly nasty issue (or under the gun for quick turn around). I'd say that the biggest benefit to the 2nd monitor is documentation with debugging a close second. The more I use the documentation the easier it gets to use. That translates into much greater productivity because I spend a lot less time reinventing the wheel. Less time reinventing the wheel means more time spent getting "the meat" of the project right (or at least better). There are millions of lines of code out there to do a lot of the mundane aspects of any project that never get used because developers never read the documentation. Who wants to have to interrupt what their doing to open the docs? When the docs are always open, you don't have this problem. When developers re-write things that have already been written, you're paying them to reinvent the wheel. That impacts the bottom line.

------------------ MCAD.net, MSc (CS)

[Machaira]

I have dual monitors at work and can't imagine how I survived without them. I don't have them at home and it's actually now a pain to get stuff done. My usual setup is VS in my left monitor and other things (web page being worked on, SQL Server Mgmt Studio, etc.) in the right window.

[Yvan Rodrigues]

Yes! I couldn't live without a second monitor. Visual studio is fullscreen on my 22" @ 1680x1400 The notebooks 15" 1400x900 screen is for email, development app, SQL browser, ssh...

[jim norcal]

At work (the job I just left after being there for a year) I used dual monitors for my coding duties and I found it helped out A LOT. I had visual studio running on one and sql server studio running on the other. I never ran dual monitors before this company and now that I've seen the benefit, I will have a harder time working with just one. Here at home I'm running on a wide screen 20.1 inch flat panel which is helpful but certainly not the same as running two 19 inch monitors side by side. Thinking back to when I bought this 20.1 inch wide screen (for home), I wish I would of had the money to buy two. Running two of these wide screens together would be incredible, I bet.

[danguria]

It helps me copy and paste...^^ ;P

[Member 2630126]

I agree. I have 2 19" and less app switching makes my life alot easier. When i work from home on one screen i hate it

[pg az]

celticfiddler wrote:

"confirmation bias"

Another good buzzword for my collection. But emotional-IQ-wise I suspect something simpler might be going on here. Googling (( Stanford Prison Experiment )) gets you to Wikipedia among other places. I must admit in those few situations in which I have had the upper hand over others I can see such tendencies in myself. (( Dilbert Mordac )) seems like a nice match too ! Have you ever read Joel-on-Software when he's talking about how he tries to equip his dev-team with cool kit even beyond the point of diminishing returns ? That's the other side of the coin - do you feel like family or like an "asset" at your job. Ursula LeGuin's "Four Ways to Forgiveness" I think was where I encountered this simple model: (( LeGuin Assets Owners ))

pg--az

[dafizicist]

Yeah i use pc and laptop together and link the screens with free software synergy from sourceforge. I'm going to add a 3rd when i upgrade my pc. Essential for coding - source on one, help on 2nd and google on third.

[celticfiddler]

I subscribe to Joel-on-Software. He runs a place where I think I would enjoy working. I've seen stuff similar to the Stanford Prison Experiment. I dimly recall studying that in psychology class back in college, along with case studies on the Korea and Vietnam conflicts. We even ran an experiment along the same lines ("haves and have-nots"), with similar results. Interesting things that twist your mind around when you get elevated to PHB, which is one of the many reasons that I have resisted becoming a manager. I quit a job about 15 years ago because they insisted on giving me dominion over two direct reports, over my objections. That, of course, has been a career-limiting decision. In more than one job interview, I was asked the equivalent of "You've been a programmer for over 25 years, and you have no management experience? What's wrong with you?" The thing that is 'wrong' with me is that I see no logic in 'promoting' me from a job I love to one that I don't want to do and would probably suck at. (And there is the constantly increasing current of age discrimination, which is remarkably and refreshingly absent from my current environment.) "do you feel like family or like an "asset" at your job." Hmmm... hadn't thought of it either way, but then, like many programmers, I prefer 'communing' with my machine over socializing with my co-workers (however, today *is* Hawaiian-shirt day, as well as lunch-at-the-Chinese-restaurant-day, and I plan to participate in both this week). My current work environment is incredibly stimulating and exciting, and my management (unlike the folks I worked for at the bank) is focused on enabling and encouraging. And I kinda enjoy sippin' from the firehose. What's kinda neat is the fact that the type of software we work on requires us to replace about half of our development machines each year. Much nicer than having to put up with hand-me-downs because there is no budget for PCs. Or having a purchase of a $100 utility refused because "we can do without it." Oh, well, time to go to work... Something I look forward to, for a change.

Violins and Accessories

[CoolDadTx]

I consider dual monitors mandatory for serious development (and even general use). For development working in one monitor with VS while having documentation, sample code or even tertiary VS windows open on the other is great. It also makes debugging paint/DirectX code easier as you can put your app on a secondary monitor and test it without having to fight for screen realestate. VS.Next is suppose to have some very useful new features to support multiple monitors. It would be nice if you could split a document view across two monitors. Right now it is limited to splitting within the same window (or having multiple windows open) so trying to compare two files can be a little annoying. Another interesting benefit is that for apps that take over the screen (like DirectX) you can still get to Task Manager/VS on the secondary monitor. The secondary monitor is also handy for holding those progress/notification windows that are so popular these days. You know when you're waiting for something to download but you still have to get some work done. Finally note that in Vista the sidebar and the XP/Vista task bar can be positioned to any window. Therefore I find it handy to keep the clock and CPU temps on the sidebar on a secondary monitor while I use my main monitor for full screen work. One monitor can do that as well but full screen is full screen so anything on the screen is going to be covered when you go full screen unless you've configured the window to be on top. As an aside most people seem to use multi monitors as two separate screens but most cards also support a single unified screen or cloning. Cloning can be handy when you need to talk to someone about code as you can clone your desktop to another monitor so they don't have to hover over your shoulder and drowl.

[Jared Thirsk]

I use 4 monitors (1600x1200 20") and it helps quite a bit with the kind of work I do. I work with many VS solutions and often average about 7-14 open at a time depending on what I'm doing (right now I have 11), often debugging between 2 or so. I also typically devote 1 screen to a big log window or testing apps, 1 to docs / web browsing / email, and 1 to system monitors and a MindManager map with hyperlinks to quickly navigate everything (I have 20+ solutions total (each with many projects), and digging thru directory trees in Explorer got old.) The 4th helps but I have mainly have it because it was just sitting around (and because it helps my tan), but having less than 3 would slow me down in my job. When I'm coding elsewhere with only one solution at a time, working with 1 monitor is often fine, although it's nice to have a 2nd.

[usoniajoe]

Congrats all, this has to be one of the longest threads of this nature! It reflects my belief that, at least while you're sitting at it, as your primary channel of information, the monitor is more important than the machine. I'm a monogamous resolution junkie fortunate enough to be running 2560x1600 where looking at a page of code in portrait mode is so incredible and feels so weird that once was enough. I normally just run putty and firefox side-by-side with thunderbird an alt-tab away. I've never tried multiple monitors but it sounds like it serves a lot of folks well. I've just imagined moving the pointer across the no-mans-land that lay between would be annoying. One thing not discussed is monitor height. Before getting the 30"-er and a real mounting arm for it, I'd always placed monitor low (especially as that's where CRTs tended to end up). With the (so wonderfully sprung it feels counter-balanced) mounting arm, I find myself nudging the monitor up bit-by-bit and more comfortably able to utilize the entirety. Finally, to those depriving themselves of their dream display, no matter what it may be, it's a tool of your trade and, even if doesn't make you more productive, it's worth it to improve your quality of life and make you a little happier whilst wasting away worshiping the once phosphorus gods...

[grgran]

I find a dual monitor configuration very useful for GUI work. With one screen GUI events often get in the way when the debugger is popping up (causing more app GUI events). Also duplicating problems from a email/web description is much easier when the app can run on one screen and the description can still be read on the other. Non_GUI API work doesn't benefit as much, but it's still useful for diffs and monitoring (servers/services).

[Ken Glass]

I just recently added a third monitor and I have to say that multiple monitors really does make life a lot easier. I like to run my IDE full screen on one with all of my misc windows (Solution Explorer, Team Explorer, Tool Box, Properties, etc...) on a the second and then email, browser, [...] on the third. It's sweet! I recommend it! Being smarter than you look always beats looking smarter than you are.

[Ken Glass]

dafizicist wrote:

Yeah i use pc and laptop together and link the screens with free software synergy from sourceforge.

IMHO - Synergy is probably the most useful free software I've had in a long time. However, my wife thinks its just plain voodoo!

[code frog 0]

I use several monitors quite effectively. Many times I'll be looking at my database schema on one screen and typing out my procedures and parameters on the other. Beats the hell out of trying to remember them and alt+tabbing back and forth. I'm more efficient with remote desktop. I can look at one server I have correctly configured on the right and I can work on the new server in the middle as I port settings across. I think there are many other cases for multiple monitors and you don't even have to try that hard to justify them. I work optimally with 3 but could get by with 2. A lot of times I'll be running long processes on a remote workstation somewhere and I park it off on another monitor where I can easily see what is going on and I resume work on my primary. This makes me a hell of a lot more efficient especially when processes are running on a command line. I see the output stop and can respond immediately. In the past with one monitor I would forget about the running CLI on the remote and 20 minutes later check on it only to see it had finished 15 minutes ago. I multi-task way better. Being able to monitor progress, write code and many other tasks make multiple monitors less cool and way more functional.