Dual monitors, a week in.
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
OriginalGriff wrote:
Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
Me too. :-D
The report of my death was an exaggeration - Mark Twain
Simply Elegant Designs JimmyRopes Designs
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I'm curious what you're doing to get good use out of three? I've got that setup both at home and in the office and found major diminishing returns on the 3rd. At home #3's mostly turned into a dedicated chat monitor and almost never used for anything else; at work I'd put the relative use levels at 55/35/10% with #3 only getting a significant share of the work when I'm working on documentation updates (copy being edited; copy marked up by reviewer; reference documents, reply to reviewer, etc). I actually had 4 screens at work for about 2 weeks but took the 4th down to reclaim desk space when I never used it for anything.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
Dan Neely wrote:
I'm curious what you're doing to get good use out of three? I've got that setup both at home and in the office and found major diminishing returns on the 3rd.
I do use 3 monitors, but that's where I've drawn the line. All three are 24", 1920x1200, with one pair used in portrait mode, and the third in landscape mode. The landscape-mode one is running VS fullscreen (or videos, when I'm not coding), one of the portrait-mode ones shows a bunch of floating windows from VS (output window, locals, call stack, search results, etc), and the last one typically shows Outlook, OneNote, browser windows, logs and all sorts of utilities. Years ago I had a 4th monitor, but I really didn't know what to do with it...not to mention I was constantly turning my head from the left-most monitor to the right-most. 3's definitely my sweet spot. I've also tried a 27" monitor, and the conclusion I had drawn at that time was, "same resolution, bigger pixels", so I couldn't justify the extra expense. I'm happy with my current setup. Although...bring on the 4K monitors already. :-) At one point I also had VS spread across the two portrait-mode monitors, with two sets of tabs opened side-by-side--great for seeing long listings all at once, with enough of a margin on each monitor to dock a window. Also, Remote Desktop with "Use all my monitors" is great for working with any computer, including those that simply don't have the hardware to support more than one or two (laptops, and even headless systems, come to mind).
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200 26" monitors is overkill. One of my friends did that, and I think he has more than 200 now.
Bob Dole
The internet is a great way to get on the net.
:doh: 2.0.82.7292 SP6a
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
I have a lappie with 1680x1050 and another 1680x1050 stacked above. The external is bigger, so small print stuff goes upstairs. I couldn't live for long without the pixels. Cheers, Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994. So does this signature. me, 2012
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
I'm up to four monitors now (a pair of 24" and two 19" satellites) now, and I wouldn't go back either. The main two usually have VS and SCC windows open, with remote sessions, explorer windows etc. delegated to the two 19" monitors on my right. Once you go beyond two monitors I suspect some sort of monitor stand arrangement is pretty essential - I use a pair of Ergotron dual stacking monitor arms[^] to not only fly the main two monitors, but also stack the two 19" monitors on top of each other and angle them appropriately.
Anna :rose: Tech Blog | Visual Lint "Why would anyone prefer to wield a weapon that takes both hands at once, when they could use a lighter (and obviously superior) weapon that allows you to wield multiple ones at a time, and thus supports multi-paradigm carnage?"
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I'm curious what you're doing to get good use out of three? I've got that setup both at home and in the office and found major diminishing returns on the 3rd. At home #3's mostly turned into a dedicated chat monitor and almost never used for anything else; at work I'd put the relative use levels at 55/35/10% with #3 only getting a significant share of the work when I'm working on documentation updates (copy being edited; copy marked up by reviewer; reference documents, reply to reviewer, etc). I actually had 4 screens at work for about 2 weeks but took the 4th down to reclaim desk space when I never used it for anything.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
I use three monitors, but on two computers. My main "work" computer has the usual dual monitor setup, the third monitor is either connected to my laptop (at work) or my workhorse PC at home (I do a lot of video editing/encoding). With the most excellent Mouse Without Borders[^] I can easily code, test and chat without all that alt-tabbing going on. Having chats etc. on a seperate machine avoids annoying focus-stealing pop-ups from ... err... stealing the focus.
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
I've been using dual monitors at both home & work for a couple of years, and would hate to go back to using one. Problem is I'm moving employers at the beginning of March and I'm not sure whether the new guys have multi-monitor setups. I haven't actually signed the contract yet, maybe I should make 2 monitors a condition of signing? It really is that big a deal...why cripple my productivity for the sake of £100 ?
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I've been using dual monitors at both home & work for a couple of years, and would hate to go back to using one. Problem is I'm moving employers at the beginning of March and I'm not sure whether the new guys have multi-monitor setups. I haven't actually signed the contract yet, maybe I should make 2 monitors a condition of signing? It really is that big a deal...why cripple my productivity for the sake of £100 ?
I wouldn't make it a condition, myself. Instead look shocked when you arrive if they don't have multiples and quickly search the internet for "multiple monitor productivity" - you'll find research claiming a 42~51% improvement which is enough of a business case to persuade most management very quickly - particularly when the cost per station is easily less than £200. Just remember to cast doubt on the numbers - I feel they are heavily inflated myself and you might have to meet them! :laugh:
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
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I'm up to four monitors now (a pair of 24" and two 19" satellites) now, and I wouldn't go back either. The main two usually have VS and SCC windows open, with remote sessions, explorer windows etc. delegated to the two 19" monitors on my right. Once you go beyond two monitors I suspect some sort of monitor stand arrangement is pretty essential - I use a pair of Ergotron dual stacking monitor arms[^] to not only fly the main two monitors, but also stack the two 19" monitors on top of each other and angle them appropriately.
Anna :rose: Tech Blog | Visual Lint "Why would anyone prefer to wield a weapon that takes both hands at once, when they could use a lighter (and obviously superior) weapon that allows you to wield multiple ones at a time, and thus supports multi-paradigm carnage?"
Three I could see (no pun intended) - it would be simple with peripheral vision and minimal head movement. But four? I'd need to put one of them above the centre one, and then I'd have to crank my head right back to see it clearly if I ever go back to varifocals. :laugh:
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
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Three I could see (no pun intended) - it would be simple with peripheral vision and minimal head movement. But four? I'd need to put one of them above the centre one, and then I'd have to crank my head right back to see it clearly if I ever go back to varifocals. :laugh:
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
It's pretty simple - One (24") in the centre, one (24") on the left, and two (19") stacked above each other on the right - all angled towards me. If you think of the right hand pair as basically a portrait oriented monitor the same size as the other two - and then cut in half horizontally - the layout should be clearer.
Anna :rose: Tech Blog | Visual Lint "Why would anyone prefer to wield a weapon that takes both hands at once, when they could use a lighter (and obviously superior) weapon that allows you to wield multiple ones at a time, and thus supports multi-paradigm carnage?"
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OK, so I added a second 22 inch monitor a week ago, and I thought I'd just tell you what it's like. I wouldn't go back to just one. Seriously, if you have only one monitor - even a fairly big one - you would not believe how much easier it makes life if you have two. The research I saw claims a 42~51% improvement in productivity - I don't think I'd go that high, but it certainly does make some things a lot easier. It's not just the extra real-estate you add, it's a better, more organised way of working you add. I have VS and Chrome open on my "old" 22 inch in landscape, both maximised so I have the full screen to play with, but with utilities, Outlook, MediaPlayer, my desktop shortcuts and the app I'm working on running on the other. So I can see the app run and look at the code without doing anything other than move my eyes. If I want to look at a technical manual or MSDN I can have that open on the second monitor while coding on the other. I can switch apps from side to side with simple keystrokes. What did this cost? £110 for the monitor, £3 for the HDMI cable and £7 for a wall mounting bracket (and a very, very nice bracket it is too) - my original video card supported multiple monitors, so I didn't need to lay out £30 on a new one. Add a few quid for postage, and half an hour installation and you're there. Is it value for money? Definitely. If it doesn't make me actually more productive (and I think it does, just not 50% more) then it makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing without chasing the right window round the screen and trying to find a way to show both apps at the same time. Which has got to improve productivity all on it's own. I don't know if you want a Portrait and Landscape combination - I did - but if you don't then you just need the desk space. Talk to your boss. Get a second monitor - I'm sold on 'em!
If you get an email telling you that you can catch Swine Flu from tinned pork then just delete it. It's Spam.
I'm about three weeks into using three monitors - two of which pretty well match your setup, the third I have in Portrait mode which is absolutely awesome for: 1. Documentation 2. Editing code I always have VS on one of my landscape monitors, but for a heavy editing session can drag a edit window to the portrait screen and view oodles of code at a time.
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I vehemently disagree with the "4 screens is pushing it". I have 4 x 24" screens, and find myself wishing for two more, because I can be far more productive in Visual Studio. The more screens, the merrier!
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I'm about three weeks into using three monitors - two of which pretty well match your setup, the third I have in Portrait mode which is absolutely awesome for: 1. Documentation 2. Editing code I always have VS on one of my landscape monitors, but for a heavy editing session can drag a edit window to the portrait screen and view oodles of code at a time.
Where are all the usual posts about "multiple monitors are bad for your productivity" ? Has the anti-multiple-monitors brigade given up ;P ? I use a single 19" 1280x1024 monitor when I work at home, a single 17" 1280x1024 at one customer, and my laptop screen 1280x800 at a second customer. I have ample screen space to code, me thinks. And it forces me to concentrate on one thing at a time, which should be good for productivity, right ? The only time I miss an extra monitor is when the MS Office help window pops up and insists on being on top of everything X| . Oh, to flick it somewhere to the side... perhaps I should try using my laptop display as secondary screen when I code VBA.
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Where are all the usual posts about "multiple monitors are bad for your productivity" ? Has the anti-multiple-monitors brigade given up ;P ? I use a single 19" 1280x1024 monitor when I work at home, a single 17" 1280x1024 at one customer, and my laptop screen 1280x800 at a second customer. I have ample screen space to code, me thinks. And it forces me to concentrate on one thing at a time, which should be good for productivity, right ? The only time I miss an extra monitor is when the MS Office help window pops up and insists on being on top of everything X| . Oh, to flick it somewhere to the side... perhaps I should try using my laptop display as secondary screen when I code VBA.
For me, the big win is having MSDN or similar alongside the dev environment. Another use, is debugging.. having the app and IDE on separate monitor helps more than you'd imagine. But if you're happy with your setup, that's fine too.
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For me, the big win is having MSDN or similar alongside the dev environment. Another use, is debugging.. having the app and IDE on separate monitor helps more than you'd imagine. But if you're happy with your setup, that's fine too.
Yeah, debugging GUI apps can surely benefit from dual, or just bigger, monitors.
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But if you're happy with your setup, that's fine too.
And I am sure that lots of people are happier with loads of monitors. Just wondered where all the heated debate that used to follow any mention of multiple monitors went :-)...
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Where are all the usual posts about "multiple monitors are bad for your productivity" ? Has the anti-multiple-monitors brigade given up ;P ? I use a single 19" 1280x1024 monitor when I work at home, a single 17" 1280x1024 at one customer, and my laptop screen 1280x800 at a second customer. I have ample screen space to code, me thinks. And it forces me to concentrate on one thing at a time, which should be good for productivity, right ? The only time I miss an extra monitor is when the MS Office help window pops up and insists on being on top of everything X| . Oh, to flick it somewhere to the side... perhaps I should try using my laptop display as secondary screen when I code VBA.
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Yeah, debugging GUI apps can surely benefit from dual, or just bigger, monitors.
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But if you're happy with your setup, that's fine too.
And I am sure that lots of people are happier with loads of monitors. Just wondered where all the heated debate that used to follow any mention of multiple monitors went :-)...
I can't fathom why people would claim that one monitor is more productive than two. It seems like saying that chopping off one hand is is a great idea because you can then concentrate on one side of the keyboard at a time, rather than being distracted by both. I wonder how many people have actually tried multiple monitors and gone back to one because they think it's more productive? I bet I could count them on the fingers of my one and only hand...
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Would actually love not to :-). But sometimes VBA is just the most suitable tool.
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I can't fathom why people would claim that one monitor is more productive than two. It seems like saying that chopping off one hand is is a great idea because you can then concentrate on one side of the keyboard at a time, rather than being distracted by both. I wonder how many people have actually tried multiple monitors and gone back to one because they think it's more productive? I bet I could count them on the fingers of my one and only hand...
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It seems like saying that chopping off one hand is is a great idea because you can then concentrate on one side of the keyboard at a time, rather than being distracted by both.
Or with a less dramatic analogy: We can sit on our hands to force thinking over coding. This actually does work sometimes.
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I bet I could count them on the fingers of my one and only hand...
:laugh:
