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4K is for programmers

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Re: 4K is for programmers

#11

Post by wyager »

jmgrosen wrote: post #4

Does anyone know if the 15" 2012 MBPR (that is, MacBookPro10,1) supports 4K with its HDMI output under Mavericks? Of course, it will only be 30Hz, but that's tolerable.

I've read officially no, but Apple frequently gives "official" specs that claim a feature isn't supported when really it is.

For example, every macbook pro in the last 5 or 6 years that had replaceable RAM had an actual RAM limit that was double what Apple said was its RAM limit. I wouldn't be surprised if 4K works, albeit perhaps a little sluggishly.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#12

Post by bhauer »

GigabyteCoin wrote: post #10

This is quite the opinionated "article". "4k isn't for couch potatoes", "you should buy a $500 monitor", "if you are programming on something so old, [you suck]", etc... I am fairly surprised to see this style of wording upvoted to the top of HN, actually.

I took this as a bit ironic because my writing style was tamer in years past and I feel it has become more blunt (to use another euphemism) since I started reading more Hacker News postings.

But yes, it's opinionated. I'm quite strongly of the opinion that in general larger desktop displays increase productivity. They are finally arriving, and at prices that are almost affordable. With several important caveats and weaknesses that cannot be ignored, the market is finally moving in a direction that I applaud. So this blog entry/rant is a form of celebration.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#13

Post by bhauer »

cma wrote: post #3

I'd say up to about 42in 4k monitors are for programmers, between that an about 8 feet, 4k is a gimmick--4k projectors are for couch potatoes. 4k VR headsets will cover everyone.

Of these, I feel the least certain about VR headsets. I've not yet tried one so I remain skeptical. But I agree, if a terrific VR headset hits the market, that would be compelling.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#14

Post by pizza »

qwerta wrote: post #9

I had 4k for years (4x 22" displays in pivot mode). It really improves productivity on complex tasks such as debugging. Soon I will upgrade to 3x Dell P2815Q with 6480x3840 resolution.

That's the same number of pixels as 12 1080p monitors. Isn't there some level of diminishing returns after about, say, half that resolution? Just curious.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#15

Post by johndriscoll »

This seems like flaunting your budget more than improving your environment.

Maybe I just need to get my eyes checked again, but for some reason my code just doesn't perform any better or write itself any faster with more screen real estate and I'm as productive on my laptop as I am on my big screen.

4K is not for programmers, code is for programmers.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#16

Post by grayrest »

adriancooney wrote: post #6

A 39-inch monitor? I'd feel pretty intimidated by such a beast at close-quarters. The extra real estate would be handy but the constant glare from all angles attacking my peripheral vision would be relentless. Nice to see some 4K adoption however.

It's not that bad. I had a pair of 30" monitors in an open floor office and I really liked the setup precisely because I wasn't distracted by watching everybody walk around behind my monitors. The people who disliked it simply used a dark background/editor scheme and kept the browser window towards the center.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#17

Post by maxk42 »

johndriscoll wrote: post #15

This seems like flaunting your budget more than improving your environment. Maybe I just need to get my eyes checked again, but for some reason my code just doesn't perform any better or write itself any faster with more screen real estate and I'm as productive on my laptop as I am on my big screen. 4K is not for programmers, code is for programmers.

Well said. I wrote code back on a 640x480 just as easily as I now write code on my 1080p. The only differences in productivity have come from me, as a programmer.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#18

Post by theatrus2 »

jmgrosen wrote: post #4

Does anyone know if the 15" 2012 MBPR (that is, MacBookPro10,1) supports 4K with its HDMI output under Mavericks? Of course, it will only be 30Hz, but that's tolerable.

The late 2013 drives at 30Hz over HDMI, and 60Hz over DP if you are running Windows.

I don't think the HDMI hardware is new enough in the 2012 for HDMI, though in theory display port might work if the drivers get enabled for it.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#19

Post by potatolicious »

pizza wrote: post #14
qwerta wrote: post #9

I had 4k for years (4x 22" displays in pivot mode). It really improves productivity on complex tasks such as debugging. Soon I will upgrade to 3x Dell P2815Q with 6480x3840 resolution.

That's the same number of pixels as 12 1080p monitors. Isn't there some level of diminishing returns after about, say, half that resolution? Just curious.

In terms of sheer workspace? Probably, but then you can dedicate the excess pixels to increasing pixel density and making things easier to read.

After getting used to the high-DPI displays in tablets and phones I have to admit, desktop text rendering has become very notably lacking.

Re: 4K is for programmers

#20

Post by catmanjan »

johndriscoll wrote: post #15

This seems like flaunting your budget more than improving your environment. Maybe I just need to get my eyes checked again, but for some reason my code just doesn't perform any better or write itself any faster with more screen real estate and I'm as productive on my laptop as I am on my big screen. 4K is not for programmers, code is for programmers.

What sort of programming do you do?

Doing web development in VS2010+ feels very cramped on anything less than 2 1080p monitors for me.

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