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Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

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Re: Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

#51
post #32

Once VR headsets gain large FOV and high DPI, working in VR will be ideal and an improvement over any sort of monitor. You can have 360+ degrees of scroll (beyond a full circle, you continue to wind into virtual space), spatial gestures to organize and manipulate your workspace. It'll be like physical trades where workers knoll out their workspaces. We'll finally be able to do the same without clunky, insufficient wi…

I'm not so sure.

To work effectively and without friction, you want everything close at hand.

I think even the current rectangular workspaces that monitors provide are getting a little too big for this. As the workspace gets bigger, the organizational burden increases, as does the effort to navigate through it -- even if that effort is mostly non-physical.

I'm thinking we actually need better ways to focus, where the things we need for an extended activity -- and only those things -- are readily available in a simple workspace. I'm afraid a 3D VR/AR workspace will lead to me questing about, looking for that file or tool that is maybe 1440 degrees leftward.

Re: Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

#53
post #20

I prefer to work with a single large external monitor. If my device is a laptop I keep it in clamshell mode when attached to an external monitor. I find switching applications with keyboard shortcuts and focusing on one thing at a time has improved my productivity. Using two or more monitors made it so easy for me to get distracted. To each their own though.

I use a 27” 4k monitor, in unscaled mode, but I use zoom heavily on macOS (Ctrl+Scroll Wheel) - with some extra scroll cruising setup with SteerMouse on my mouse. The lets me reduce the pixel to density to that if a much larger screen on-demand to help with my eyes a bit.

Re: Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

#54
I did the multi-monitor thing for years. Ultimately, I hate moving my head around that much. My current setup is a 4K curved screen, with i3wm. It's enough screen space for up to 9 usefully-sized panes, and also enough for a tall or very wide pane when the situation calls for it. The ability to reconfigure panes from the keyboard is a real game-changer.

Re: Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

#55
post #20

I prefer to work with a single large external monitor. If my device is a laptop I keep it in clamshell mode when attached to an external monitor. I find switching applications with keyboard shortcuts and focusing on one thing at a time has improved my productivity. Using two or more monitors made it so easy for me to get distracted. To each their own though.

When I ran multiple monitors I often designated one as my "communication" display, which got email/chat on it, and probably browser as well (for reference material), while the other was the active work one with the current task (usually a few terminals). I found the clearly defines areas for specific tasks was useful.

Now I work off a 40" 4k TV without magnification (I'm close to it), and I try to do similar but it's a lot more haphazard. I find that once you have a wall of pixels in front of you, putting stuff in areas helps, but it's also nice to just throw stuff around and treat it as a actual physical desktop (as it's actually about the size now).

The thing to keep in mind is that as screens get larger, maximizing to fill the whole screen makes less and less sense. I can't even see all my screen at once. I could place it farther back and scale it up, but why would I just by a smaller screen and keep it closer then? I want those pixels. I run all my browser windows at about a quarter screen size, and have that app scaled up to 125% (but not all apps), and that almost never has a problem with a site, and I have other info I care about quick saccade away.

Re: Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers

#59
post #20

I prefer to work with a single large external monitor. If my device is a laptop I keep it in clamshell mode when attached to an external monitor. I find switching applications with keyboard shortcuts and focusing on one thing at a time has improved my productivity. Using two or more monitors made it so easy for me to get distracted. To each their own though.

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