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My 2020 desk setup

michael.stapelberg.ch

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Re: My 2020 desk setup

#121

Post by xenihn »

Given that this is the closest thing to a monitor discussion thread I've seen on HN, I'd like to ask if anyone has a recommendation for what I should upgrade to next.

My progression has been the 2560x1440 Thunderbolt display to the Dell P2715Q, which has been my main monitor at work and home for the past 5 years.

I've tried to upgrade from the P2715Q three times now, and always end up going back to it because I'm dissatisfied by the quality of the other panels in comparison.

I want a larger screen that can support 4K, or even 5K, with comparable panel quality. I avoided the LG 5K display sold by Apple because I heard bad things about it, but never actually tried one. It's 27" as well, so I think it would still be too small, even if the panel quality and resolution are better.

I'm starting to think I should just get a TV and use that as my display, but I don't know which would best suit my needs for writing software. One nice thing about a TV is that it would be much easier to do returns/swaps if I need to play the panel lottery for something that will make me happy. I have never done this with a previous display, since I always bought second-hand from people who had already done that for me. The original owner of my P2715Q apparently returned theirs three times before they were satisfied.

I've toyed with the idea of getting an Apple Pro display, but I really don't want to spend more than $2000 on a monitor.

The UP3218K described in the article seems like it would be a good upgrade, but it definitely exceeds my price range. I would be open to spending that much on a monitor if I knew I wouldn't be replacing it for at least five years, but I can't know that for sure. Although funnily enough, that's what has happened with my P2715Q. It's the only piece of computing equipment I haven't replaced since I first started using it.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#122

Post by pbhjpbhj »

mikelward wrote: post #108
ZekeSulastin wrote: post #80

The WH-1000XM3 are just about the only recommended bluetooth headphone anymore that makes switching devices that much of a pain. Most will either automatically switch between a few active devices or allow you to switch by just initiating the connection from the target device. Have you looked at installing the patched pulseaudio-bluetooth modules to gain LDAC support? :)

I use NFC pairing when it's available. Unfortunately most audio sources don't support it. Has anybody looked into how you'd make a DIY NFC tag for this?

I don't know the specifics here but you can buy blank NFC tags and I used NFC Tools PRO for writing tags with my android phone, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wakdev.nfc... .

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#123

Post by j45 »

jvolkman wrote: post #53
illuminated wrote: post #6

"I found that using only one monitor allows me to focus more on what I’m doing, and I don’t miss anything about a multi-monitor setup." This. I had the same realization maybe 7 or 8 years ago and it is true for me. With multiple monitors it's like moving your hands away from the keyboard all the time and looking for the mouse. Same happens for me while looking for anything across the 2 or 3 monitor setup. It just wea…

When I started at my current company they gave me a single 43" 4k monitor. It felt ridiculously huge at first, but now I'm not sure I could ever go back to anything smaller. At the distance I sit from it, the ~102 PPI is perfect for 100% scaling. I bought a 43" Samsung TV to use at home. As you mention, I find using a laptop screen for development really painful now.

ooc, what is the distance you sit from it?

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#124

Post by lwhsiao »

I've always been curious about higher-end USB microphones (the Rode is ~$230) compared with a potentially more upgradable XLR setup like:

- Behringer UM2 USB Audio Interface

- Behringer Ultravoice XM8500 Dynamic Cardioid mic

This would give the upgradability of an XLR audio interface and a seemingly decent mic for about $125. I imagine once everything is plugged together, it similarly comes down to just plugging in a USB, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't plug-n-play on Linux. I don't know how well the audio quality would compare, though. I'd be interested to hear more about the challenges of getting a working setup with XLR audio gear that are alluded to in the post.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#125

Post by mikelward »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #122
mikelward wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use NFC pairing when it's available. Unfortunately most audio sources don't support it. Has anybody looked into how you'd make a DIY NFC tag for this?

I don't know the specifics here but you can buy blank NFC tags and I used NFC Tools PRO for writing tags with my android phone, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wakdev.nfc... .

Thanks.

As far as I can tell making a tag that announces speakers is straightforward.

I'm trying to go the other direction, where the laptop/PC/tablet doesn't support NFC pairing.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#126

Post by kaypro »

StavrosK wrote: post #33
lmilcin wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except you have huge monitor and you lay stuff in multiple side by side windows which makes the whole argument very moot. And when you use laptop you are kind of forced to use single screen because multiple screens is inconvenient at best. When I started development 15" monitors were standard and 17" were a luxury. Setting multiple monitors was a must or you would have to constantly switch between editor, terminal an…

I have three monitors, but I only use one (a 24" one, the second is for when I want to watch some show or movie while doing stuff on the main one, and the third I basically never use). I have my apps always maximized/fullscreen in the main monitor and I alt-tab between them. I never could get into having multiple apps on-screen at the same time, since I can only focus on one. Writing this comment, though, I realize t…

I work the same way and having a keyboard shortcut set for each one of my Apps has been game changing for me. Worth trying out to see if it fits your flow:

http://macnotes.com/how-i-work-on-my-mac/

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#127

Post by wenc »

acomjean wrote: post #45
wenc wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True for writing or any one-mode tasks. For dev work though, typically I need see multiple things simultaneously: input (IDE/editor), output (console/browser) and instrumentation (debugger etc.) I'm one-monitoring these days (WFH) because my laptop can't output to more than 1 display without a docking station -- I had left mine at the office. The context switching is tiring to say the least. I'm making do by tiling m…

I bought one of those usb to dvi converters for a white polycarb macbook that only had one external monitor connector. While you couldn't run a game with it, it worked great for work. They seem to have some embeded video card. (mine is no longer availble . But this looks similar: https://www.newertech.com/products/vidu3dvia.php )

Thanks for the tip! This sounds like it might work for me.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#128

Post by StavrosK »

kaypro wrote: post #126
StavrosK wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have three monitors, but I only use one (a 24" one, the second is for when I want to watch some show or movie while doing stuff on the main one, and the third I basically never use). I have my apps always maximized/fullscreen in the main monitor and I alt-tab between them. I never could get into having multiple apps on-screen at the same time, since I can only focus on one. Writing this comment, though, I realize t…

I work the same way and having a keyboard shortcut set for each one of my Apps has been game changing for me. Worth trying out to see if it fits your flow: http://macnotes.com/how-i-work-on-my-mac/

That's a great idea, especially with my programmable keyboard, thank you. I'll have to see if KDE supports this, but I think it's likely.

EDIT: Turns out it's trivial, I love Linux:

http://xahlee.info/linux/linux_add_keyboard_shortcuts_to_swi...

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#129

Post by StavrosK »

StavrosK wrote: post #95
detaro wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

link to said extension? :)

I don't remember the name right now and I'm not at the computer, but anything that will launch a program will work, the extension itself does very little.

I just checked, the extension is called "Open With":

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/open-with/

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#130

Post by secure »

ZekeSulastin wrote: post #80

The WH-1000XM3 are just about the only recommended bluetooth headphone anymore that makes switching devices that much of a pain. Most will either automatically switch between a few active devices or allow you to switch by just initiating the connection from the target device. Have you looked at installing the patched pulseaudio-bluetooth modules to gain LDAC support? :)

Have not looked at any fancy pulseaudio setups. I don’t want to maintain them on my machines over time, as I use these headphones with 4 different devices :)
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